The words ‘virtual,’ ‘remote,’ and ‘mobile’ are becoming increasingly common within the business world. They are part of a fast-moving transition, an evolution of what we consider to be the modern office. Entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small companies are eschewing long term leases and fixed premises, in favour of flexible workspaces.

There are many different reasons for this. For one thing, it isn’t necessary to have a huge team anymore. Sophisticated software solutions have made it possible for compact workforces to take on the kind of tasks which used to require an entire department. There is also a much better understanding of the value of agility. These days, businesses don’t want to be tied down. Here’s why early-stage startups are choosing serviced offices versus conventional.

Short Term Leases

One of the biggest expenses associated with running a business is rent. Yet, many companies still fall into the trap of long-term leasing, even when they can’t be sure they can fulfill a contract. Serviced offices are a great solution because they provide everything that a traditional workspace does, but without that long-term commitment. Most offer minimum terms as low as three months, with an open end date.

Negotiable Terms

Not only are the leases flexible, the terms of the deal are fully negotiable too. It makes serviced offices a great way to control overheads, no matter whether you are launching in a domestic or foreign city. The idea is that you pay at the end of each month for the resources that you have used. For example, if you have no need for meeting spaces, you don’t have to pay for them. If you don’t want to use a corporate mailbox, there’s no obligation to and no charge.

High-End Back Office Support

When you expand into a new country, having the right support can mean the difference between success and failure. It is important to recognise the value of local support, because most companies tend to lose a little of their independence, at least to begin with. This is simply because it is tough to uproot a business and place it in an entirely unfamiliar environment.

The secretaries, IT specialists, digital marketing experts, and web developers affiliated with serviced offices provide a much-needed link between you and your new home. They can help you streamline operations, adapt to regional routines, shrink your workload, and find world-class recruits. Plus, you are in control of how and when you access all of these resources.

Testing the Waters

Serviced offices lend themselves very well to the split testing of markets. As the leases and terms are so flexible, it is easy to set up a temporary home in multiple cities or countries and wait to see which one is the most profitable. In the days before flexible office solutions, this would only be possible at great expense.

While split testing isn’t always possible – there are plenty of reasons why small businesses decide to take a risk and relocate with it – it can give you some certainty in unpredictable conditions. Whether it be Hong Kong, San Francisco or New York to launch a company the only way to know if it works for your team is to experience it. You have to take your big ideas and give them to the market.

]]>https://tech.co/early-stage-startups-office-spaces-2017-08/feed0282251https://tech.co/early-stage-startups-office-spaces-2017-08Why Work Flexibility is Important to Employee Happinesshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/bDwzCE6hSNA/workplace-flexibility-gender-inclusive-2017-08
https://tech.co/workplace-flexibility-gender-inclusive-2017-08#respondThu, 17 Aug 2017 21:00:34 +0000https://tech.co/?p=280295For many years, when we talked about “workplace flexibility” or “flex time,” most people really only thought it applied to working mothers. But workplace flexibility has always been something fathers value, too. And the conversation about flexible work is becoming more and more gender-inclusive.

A flexible workplace has always been important to me, early in my career as an aspiring professional, then a corporate employee, and now as a father and entrepreneur. When I worked as a corporate marketer inside a Fortune 500 company, I felt constrained by the traditional work structure and how flexibility was perceived by the organization. Ten years ago, true flexibility just wasn’t accepted. I built my own firm partly to create more flexibility for myself and others who want the same things.

In late 2015, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced he’d be taking two months of parental leave following the birth of his first child and expanded the company’s parental leave policy to grant four months of paid leave to all full-time workers (male or female). Although some companies are making strides to support flex time for all employees, men’s desire and need for flexibility still typically receives little attention from the traditional organization.

In a survey by the Pew Research Center, 50 percent of working fathers said it was very or somewhat difficult to balance the responsibilities of their jobs and their families. In my view, we need to include both men and women in the conversation about work flexibility in order to expand this issue and create supportive, positive workplaces for every employee and family.

The Cost to Employees

When employees aren’t satisfied with their work-life balance, they feel overwhelmed and overworked, and work and motivation both suffer. And when organizations don’t make flexibility a standard, employees don’t put their health and personal well-being first.

Even when they do take vacation time, they often aren’t fully present. They’re catching up on email at night or taking calls in the morning. There’s a stigma and an expectation that you can’t prioritize a vacation without a company questioning whether you’re really “all in.”

The implications of being overworked cascade through both careers and personal lives as burnout and stress rise, work output is compromised and relationships are taxed. Being “overworked and under-familied” is not good for employees, companies or society.

The Cost to Companies

Companies are increasingly grappling with the issue of flexibility, as the generation of “company men” starts to retire, and is being replaced by a younger generation with a different set of expectations. The best people have the most options, and if your culture and brand are known for churn and burn, you won’t be able to attract superstars.

Millennials are not interested in compromises, and that will affect every company’s strategy. The millennial generation is actually leading this workforce shift and making flexibility an issue related to how a firm competes in the market, rather than a nice-to-have perk.

How to Fix It

But until true evolution occurs, there are two important ways that men can help “be the change.”

Employees Need to Be Vocal

Employees need to be more vocal about their needs and wants related to this topic, and assess whether their employer is providing what they need.Men who truly value work flexibility will be vocal about it, seeking out organizations that support their employees. When flexibility needs aren’t met, for the first time ever we’re seeing many men opting to leave the confines of the traditional corporate structure to forge their own path. Men are increasingly embracing independent work because the stigma of flexibility is too high or their company culture doesn’t allow it. And while opting out is one option, men need to recognize they have the power to speak up to change this stigma inside their organization by letting their companies know what they need.

Leadership Needs to Embrace the Culture Change

People in leadership and management positions need to embrace and advocate this perspective internally and create a culture of accountability.In many companies, men create their own flexible arrangements – often on the sly. Many men won’t ask for a true “flex arrangement” but will just head out for that school play. While that means they’re getting what they need, in some ways it also subtly confirms that men don’t want or need flex time, and the dialogue can be squelched when it appears to be an invisible problem. A Citi study of more than 1,000 LinkedIn members found that nearly 80 percent of women surveyed said they have never heard a successful man talk about balancing work with home, suggesting that although men value work-life balance, they aren’t talking about it.

That’s why those in positions of leadership need to lead by example and vocalize their support of this workplace shift. Creating a culture of accountability instead of face time is a critical component to making flexibility work inside organizations. By providing a more flexible work culture for employees, they in turn will create high-performing teams, stronger employee loyalty, lower turnover and cement their position as a leader to others inside the company.

As workplace demographics change and men seek to create the flexibility to balance work with their family or passion projects, it will be a wake-up call for corporations to change their culture to support this mindset of flexibility for women and men.

As Ernst & Young Global Chairman and CEO Mark Weinberger said at the White House Summit on Working Families, “Women don’t want to be singled out and men don’t want to be left out.”

Companies that begin treating flexibility as an issue that affects their workers across the board are the ones that will win in talent recruitment and retention.

This article is courtesy of BusinessCollective, featuring thought leadership content by ambitious young entrepreneurs, executives & small business owners.

]]>https://tech.co/workplace-flexibility-gender-inclusive-2017-08/feed0280295https://tech.co/workplace-flexibility-gender-inclusive-2017-08Diversity Initiatives Need to Start With the CEOhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/tNwzFnYWBWU/ceos-championing-diversity-program-2017-08
https://tech.co/ceos-championing-diversity-program-2017-08#respondThu, 17 Aug 2017 19:50:13 +0000https://tech.co/?p=286061A study by McKinsey and Company has found companies that have a diverse workforce are “35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.”

A survey by Stefanie Johnson, associate professor of management and entrepreneurship at University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business, interviewed 11 CEOs who have made a public commitment to diversity and shared how it impacted the company.

Johnson said the CEOs raised a variety of reasons for the important of diversity and inclusion with “the most common being that they believed greater diversity leads to greater diversity of thought, [as well as] the ability to attract and retain top talent, and to a better understanding of their customer base.” The CEOs also recognized that a diverse workforce will “boost innovation and employee engagement.”

But for a diversity program to truly succeed, it has to come from the top, here are some advice and lessons learned from her interview with top CEOs.

Leading by example means for CEOs to make the commitment to change and execute a plan on how to best cultivate a welcoming, collaborative, and thriving environment for employees.

“A CEO’s actions, whether on or off the job, signal the extent to which diversity is valued. [For example,] David Cohen (Techstars) started the Techstars Foundation to promote diversity in entrepreneurship by funding women-led companies and projects that promote more women in tech,” Johnson said.

Stay Accountable

Saying you’ll implement diversity and inclusion initiatives is one thing, but measuring the impact and staying accountable to those goals is another.

“Indeed, research has shown that setting and following through on diversity goals is the most effective method for increasing underrepresentation of women and minorities,” Johnson said.

Diversity Throughout the Whole Company

As we’ve seen with other tech company diversity reports, you might see an impact in a few parts of the company, But to make an impact, CEOs need to build in a plan to spread this initiative throughout their company.

“CEOs talked about the importance of having diverse teams at all levels of the company – from the front lines to middle management to senior leadership,” Johnson said.

CEOs also learned that by taking action and having a diverse workforce helps attract and retain talent and their products began to appeal to a wider customer base, Johnson said.

Open Your Mind

The workforce is changing, and by having an inclusive environment for LGBTQ workers, veterans, and people with disabilities it will bring about a different perspective.

“The CEOs talked about realizing that equality is not just giving everyone the same things, but about giving people what they need,” Johnson said.

Provide Support

With any transition comes the need to support people and bring about awareness. The CEOs recognized that at work people need to feel safe. Johnson reported some of the CEOs instituted a non-discriminatory policy “that includes explicit protections and expanded definitions related to gender identity and expression, disability, citizenship, and ancestry.”

Johnson said, “Many of the leaders I interviewed have been recognized for addressing racial and gender diversity at their companies, but also issues faced by LGBTQ workers, veterans, and people with disabilities.”

The main take away from this survey was that a diversity program is great to have in place, but leadership, and specifically the CEO, needs to champion this change.

]]>https://tech.co/ceos-championing-diversity-program-2017-08/feed0286061https://tech.co/ceos-championing-diversity-program-2017-083 Mini Drones That Won’t Drain Your Wallethttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/XVZDHCdeR6g/3-mini-drones-affordable-2017-08
https://tech.co/3-mini-drones-affordable-2017-08#respondThu, 17 Aug 2017 19:00:14 +0000https://tech.co/?p=286003The latest post from your Facebook friend showed an aerial photo from a drone of their entire family and you want one for yourself.

Before you go sinking hundreds, even thousands, into a piece of tech that is very likely to come crashing down to earth at some point in its lifetime, allow me to suggest taking the responsible baby step and getting a mini drone instead.

That way, you can ensure this hobby is the right one for you (e.g. did you know you need to register with the FAA to fly anything that weighs more than 0.55lbs?) before you go banking the break on something doomed to suffer the same fate as Oceanic Flight 815.

Rabing’s Mini Drone is the least “mini” of the drones on this list, but it features collapsable propeller arms that allow it to fold up into a much more compact package. It’ll still fit in your pocket, though it’s (relatively) larger size allows Rabing to pack in features you’d normally find on larger, more expensive drones.

Coming in at a price of $99 automatically makes this a runner-up to Rabing, though the SKEYE Mini Drone is still a great choice for a first (mini) drone.

The lack of a real-time video feed means you’ll need to fly with your drone in sight at all times, so the SKEYE is best suited for pilots looks to have fun performing aerobatic and shooting HD footage of the immediate surrounding areas. However, if that’s you, the SKEYE is your best option, as it boasts “high thrust, low weight, and incredibly responsive controls that allow you to perform amazing maneuvers with just a flick of the sticks.”

The Virhuck is compact to the point where it can be stored within its own controller, which itself will easily fit in any pocket. And at 19.99, bouncing this off a sidewalk (or a neighbor’s upstairs window) isn’t quite as big a concern as it would be with larger drones.

I’ve yet to meet a person who isn’t fascinated by the world of drones and/or the impact they are already having on a variety of industries. So take a test flight with one of these mini drones, and find out if you really are meant to be an ace (drone) pilot.

]]>https://tech.co/3-mini-drones-affordable-2017-08/feed0286003https://tech.co/3-mini-drones-affordable-2017-08What the Heck Is an ICO Anyway?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/c2fYIdpLMNI/heck-ico-anyway-2017-08
https://tech.co/heck-ico-anyway-2017-08#respondThu, 17 Aug 2017 18:30:54 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285932The world of cryptocurrencies was weird to begin with, but since its beginnings as a serious form of currency in 2009, it has continued to expand in both value (at the time of writing, one bitcoin is worth over $4300) and in seemingly endless formats (Remember Dogecoin, anyone?). By now, it’s safe to say the tech niche is bigger and weirder than ever.

Which is why it’s time for an explainer on the uniquely cryptocurrency-based spin on an old business term, the Initial Public Offering, or IPO. Here’s what you need to know about the Initial Coin Offering, aka the ICO, and how your startup just might be able to benefit from one.

Are ICOs Like IPOs?

When a new cryptocurrency launches, it needs users. It gets them through the ICO, in which it sets a rate, and anyone who wants to invest in it turns over a certain amount of another, more stable cryptocurrency, usually bitcoin. Like shares of an IPO, the ICO “coins” can be traded. Unlike shares, they don’t confer ownership rights. But explaining what these coins represent is a little more complicated.

Here’s how The Economist explained it in a recent article: “ICO ‘coins’ are essentially digital coupons, tokens issued on an indelible distributed ledger, or blockchain, of the kind that underpins bitcoin, a crypto-currency. That means they can easily be traded, although unlike shares they do not confer ownership rights. Instead, they often serve as the currency for the project they finance: to pay users for a correct prediction, as does Gnosis; or for the content users contribute. Investors hope that successful projects will cause tokens’ value to rise.”

The main benefit is that potential for a rapid value-add for investors. The main problem? A lack of regulation behind ICOs.

Beware of Fraud

A white paper explaining how a creator hopes their ICO will pan out may be all that is offered to potential investors, meaning that a fraudulent deal that could lose an investor everything is only a shady write-up away.

In January, reports surfaced of an investment scheme for “LCF Coins” or the “Rothschild Family LCF Project,” which the official financial advisory firm Rothschild & Co then denounced as an impostor that was using their name to fleece investors. The coins were “very similar to a Ponzi scheme,” Rothschild & Co said. A ICO for Matchpool also failed, and another cryptocurrency founder was found to have a troubled history with earlier ICO collapses.

However, as the cryptocurrency industry rapidly matures, regulating factors (like an escrow account) are beginning to ensure the needed checks and balances. It’s not there yet, but a solid regulatory system is in the works.

Is It a Bubble?

Eventually, the market for ICOs will take a dip, forcing the cryptocurrencies with legs to the surface while burying everything else. And the fraud cases aren’t helping matters, as Wired reported recently.

“The side effect is that millions are going to entities which, apart from tokens and a project outline — crypto parlance: ‘white paper’— have very little to offer. Take for example ‘Useless Ethereum Token’, a parody initiative which still managed to raise $40,000 in funding. Or, for a grimmer story, look at OneCoin: a Ponzi scheme which had amassed over $350 million before being busted by the Indian police,” Wired says.

A boom and bust cycle seems inevitable. But that bubble pop has been predicted for practically a year now — since last October — with no dice. While you wait for the bust, you can stay relatively safe when participating in an ICO by keeping most of your cryptocurrency safe in bitcoin, the digital gold standard.

Why Should You Care?

Research firm Smith+Crown puts the total investments in various ICOs at $250 million, with $107 million of that from 2017 alone. That’s not something to sneeze at. And since ICOs offer a path for any cryptocurrency project creator to raise funds for their operations, it’s a smart idea for any creator within the niche to examine as a useful option for them. You might try out a crowdfunding platform designed for ICO such as CoinList, which is designed to ensure the ICO stays on the right side of the law.

But before you start, you’ll have to be in the niche first. If you’re not a cryptocurrency fanatic, you’ll need to know someone who is. You don’t need your own blockchain in order to raise funds — just a Bitcoin or Ethereum address and a convincing white paper — but having an expert cryptographer explain the process is a must.

Dipping a toe into the fast-paced, volatile ICO world is easier said than done, and as you can tell from the density of this article, it isn’t even very easy to say.

]]>https://tech.co/heck-ico-anyway-2017-08/feed0285932https://tech.co/heck-ico-anyway-2017-08The Road Map to a Corporate Acceleratorhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/82-YQ66FLrM/road-map-corporate-accelerator-2017-08
https://tech.co/road-map-corporate-accelerator-2017-08#respondThu, 17 Aug 2017 16:20:03 +0000https://tech.co/?p=284618In the past, startups and corporations were very much separate. While corporations maintained the status quo, developing million dollar deals for products everyone already has, startups were the kings of innovation, creating brand new technologies that no one had even dreamed of before. But now, corporations understand that a little innovation goes a long way, which is why many have set up accelerators in hopes of evolving their company along with everyone else.

As a startup looking to join a corporate accelerator, it can be pretty daunting to approach the big guys. However, with this comprehensive road map, you’ll be able to start on your journey towards a corporate partnership.

Pick Your Problem

Corporate accelerators are very specific in the needs they are trying to meet. With bountiful resources and a gargantuan network, these accelerators are still looking for the right niche to make a difference. Make sure you pick which corporate accelerator you’re interested in based on what problem your company solves.

“Building great products has to do with solving the problems of your clients,” said Jason Grad, founder at Bstow. “For any corporate accelerator, we highly recommend reaching out to people from both the accelerator side and the corporate side to make sure there is a good fit – this will also help you in the application process.”

Build Your Team

A great idea will go nowhere without a drive team behind it. You can have all the capital in the world, but without employees that can get the job done right, no corporate accelerator is going to look in your direction. Build a team that can

“Most importantly, companies that are ripe for corporate accelerators have a team who are creative, committed and passionate, and are willing to do the hard work it takes to be successful,” said Kurt Dammerman,VP, Head of Highway1.

Understand Your Story

This is true of any startup looking for success. Understanding your story is the most effective way to get and keep the attention of a corporate accelerator, as they’ve been around the block more than a few times. Figure out what makes you different.

“The application process gives a handy framework for organizing your story. As one of my favorite investors tells us, the first thing every startup needs to do is to “get your stuff together!” although he uses a different word.” said Scott Lininger, CEO and cofounder of Bitsbox, a graduate of AT&T Aspire Accelerator. To apply, you need to tell a clear story. Having to assemble a clear story always teaches you things about your business.”

Have a Product

J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter on a napkin, but that doesn’t mean you can do the same when applying for a corporate accelerator. You need to have an actual product that you can properly demonstrate, as interviewers will want to see what it can do in real life.

“We have companies that apply with a napkin sketch,” said Kurt Dammerman, VP, Head of Highway1. “You must have a working prototype. Companies get the most out of the program if they are at a stage where they have a working prototype but need to improve it, vs. having a concept only.”

Get Ready to Interview

Similar to applying for an actual position, large corporations are defined by their lengthy interview process. Be prepared to endure not one, but many different interviews with scores of different managers, employees, and even executive members of the company.

Reap the Benefits

It’s no secret that joining a corporate accelerator is good for your company. But what kind of benefits do startups in these programs enjoy? Capital and resources are the obvious ones, but startups also enjoy mentorship, inside information, and networking opportunities that would go unutilized without this kind of partnership.

“We attended regular sessions where representatives from the airlines and other travel tech companies gave insights into the technology and supply structures of the industry,” said Schneiderhan. “The travel industry is very complex and often information online is conflicting or difficult to access. Having a pool of experts at our disposal was extremely valuable.”

]]>https://tech.co/road-map-corporate-accelerator-2017-08/feed0284618https://tech.co/road-map-corporate-accelerator-2017-08Study: Yoga Can Help Reduce Symptoms of Depressionhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/eBBLTwsgbNg/study-yoga-reduce-symptoms-depression-2017-08
https://tech.co/study-yoga-reduce-symptoms-depression-2017-08#respondThu, 17 Aug 2017 15:30:52 +0000https://tech.co/?p=284797Fatigue, irritability, reduced appetite, back problems, anxiety and the inability to make decisions are subtle symptoms of depression. Any founder that has been through the startup journey will tell you that these signs are more common and reoccurring than people will admit.

In a 2015 blog post Brad Feld of Techstars, wrote “Bringing Depression Out of the Shadows” to which he openly discussed his constant struggle with depression, a topic that is consistently overlooked in the startup world. In May 2017, also mental health month, Techstars opened the dialogue about mental illness and the real struggle founders face while building a business. Just know you’re not alone.

Most people, especially men, are afraid to talk to anyone or seek professional help for depression, or any onset of a mental illness, for fear of appearing weak, unstable or incapable of doing the job. The fact is that good mental health is part of the puzzle of success, and becoming aware of symptoms of depression, general anxiety or other illnesses is the a critical step to healing thy self and preparing for the next level of the business.

While people may consider talking with someone after this post to start healing, in the meantime, researchers suggest to grab a yoga mat and find your OM.

At their annual convention, the American Psychology Association released multiple studies about the positive effects of two types yoga, Hatha and Bikram (hot yoga), shown to lessen the symptoms of depression.

Lindsey Hopkins, PhD, of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center who focused on Hatha yoga said her subjects, 23 male veterans, who participated in yoga classes two times a week showed a “significant reduction in depression symptoms after the eight weeks.”

“Yoga has become increasingly popular in the West, and many new yoga practitioners cite stress-reduction and other mental health concerns as their primary reason for practicing. But the empirical research on yoga lags behind its popularity as a first-line approach to mental health,” Hopkins said.

Another study by Sarah Shallit, MA, of Alliant University in San Francisco, 52 women age 25-45 participated in Bikram yoga twice a week for 8-weeks and too showed “reduced symptoms of depress compared with the control group.”

Participants also reported secondary positive side effects of this practice including improved quality of life, optimism, and cognitive and physical functioning.

While the yoga mat isn’t the end all to improving one’s mental health, it’s certainly can be paired with professional help.

“Clearly, yoga is not a cure-all. However, based on empirical evidence, there seems to be a lot of potential,” Hopkins said.

]]>https://tech.co/study-yoga-reduce-symptoms-depression-2017-08/feed0284797https://tech.co/study-yoga-reduce-symptoms-depression-2017-08This Startup Will Help You Learn From Entrepreneurs’ Mistakeshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/4jIiuIZAo8s/startup-learn-entrepreneurs-mistakes-2017-08
https://tech.co/startup-learn-entrepreneurs-mistakes-2017-08#respondThu, 17 Aug 2017 14:50:05 +0000https://tech.co/?p=284075Tragically enough, failure is an integral part of success, particularly in the startup world. Without the knowledge gleaned from dire mistakes, entrepreneurs wouldn’t have the experience necessary to keep up with changing trends, manage unruly employees, or deal with unexpected viral memos, all things that can be expected in the future of a new startup founder. Fortunately, learning from others is similarly beneficial and doesn’t hurt anyone’s feelings, which is why one startup is trying to help you learn from the mistakes of others.

Failory is a new startup that aims to turn failure into a learning experience. By interviewing entrepreneurs that have run companies that are defunct, they’re providing an invaluable asset to budding startup founders that could be in the middle of making the exact same mistake.

“Our objective is to teach to aspiring entrepreneurs the mistakes that failed startups committed to avoid making the same errors,” said Rich Clominson, cofounder of Failory, on IndieHackers.

As a comedian, I know the value of failure more than most. I know that for every joke that doesn’t work, I’m gleaning integral knowledge about how to succeed in the future. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make bombing on stage any less painful, which is what makes a service like this so valuable. Giving potential entrepreneurs and current startup founders a resource to avoid mistakes while building their business could completely transform how people run businesses and even cut into the mythical 8 out of 10 startups that fail within the first few years.

Because the startup has just launched, the number of interviews available is fairly small. However, as time goes on, Failory could become the go-to place for startup lessons and education. Because if you can’t learn from failure, you just can’t learn.

]]>https://tech.co/startup-learn-entrepreneurs-mistakes-2017-08/feed0284075https://tech.co/startup-learn-entrepreneurs-mistakes-2017-08Social Media and Referrals Are the Top Ways Businesses Get Talenthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/5F9YVHTqSFs/social-media-referrals-acquire-talent-2017-08
https://tech.co/social-media-referrals-acquire-talent-2017-08#respondThu, 17 Aug 2017 13:20:52 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285918Social media managers, rejoice: Your job skills are in higher demand than ever, as the best businesses everywhere increasingly turn to social media in order to pull in the high-quality talent that they need in order to stay competitive.

The news is from the research and consulting firm Universum Global, which tracks employers and their top talent in order to figure out the best ways to bring them together. Here are the two big takeaways from the Employer Branding Now 2017 report, just out today.

Social Media Matters

According to Universum research, the companies rely on certain channels to build up their brand reputation among students who may then become employees. Of these channels, social media was the most influential — with an exception for medium sized companies, who placed it second to a personal website.

“The main takeaway here is that social media has become a mainstay of recruitment marketing among companies of all sizes. If you’re not investing in your social media presence, you’re likely to fall behind your talent competitors,” James Barraclough, Head of Activation EMEA at Universum, said in a statement.

Employee References Are On the Rise

Among the companies Universum focused on — the World’s Most Attractive Employers (WMAE) — one particular channel has been on the rise in recent years: referrals. Here’s how they explained the data.

“Employee referral continues to see a significant bump in increased investment this year with 56 percent of the WMAE reporting the intention to increase their spend. In the same vein, promoting employer advocacy has become increasingly more important to companies as a primary employer brand objective, increasing from 30 percent to 41 percent among the WMAE. Following the lead of WMAE, 34 percent of large, 30 percent of medium and 20 percent of small businesses are making employee advocacy the main priority of their employer brand communication.”

And where do employees go when looking to send out a few referrals? Probably their favorite social platform. Like I said, social media managers should love this latest tidbit of data-driven news.

]]>https://tech.co/social-media-referrals-acquire-talent-2017-08/feed0285918https://tech.co/social-media-referrals-acquire-talent-2017-08What It Means to Have a Honey Badger Culturehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/V9uMbkLjyuI/dream-local-digital-capital-2017-08
https://tech.co/dream-local-digital-capital-2017-08#respondThu, 17 Aug 2017 12:30:37 +0000https://tech.co/?p=284355The honey badger could be considered the world’s most fearless animal. For a Rockland, Maine-based digital marketing agency, Dream Local Digital, they consider their team members #HoneyBadgers of the online marketing world.

Here’s how the company explains it:

“#HoneyBadgers are tenacious. When we set a goal, we don’t quit until we reach it. #HoneyBadgers are thick-skinned. Even arrows and fangs (algorithm changes) fail to penetrate #HoneyBadger hides. #HoneyBadgers are tough. We fight lions (big box stores). We eat snakes (local competitors). When the world’s most poisonous snakes (global dot coms) get their venom into a #HoneyBadger, we sleep it off and wake up ready to fight. #HoneyBadgers are smart. They’ve been seen using tools to climb walls. We use our resources and work smarter, not harder.

“Every #HoneyBadger takes ownership of his or her work and makes sure our clients get the best we have to give. We know how important your business is to you. We take pride in what we do and work until you’re satisfied. The honey badger’s story is the soul of Dream Local Digital, a part of the lore. We put these characteristics to work for our partners and clients, ensuring that every client gets full-on #HoneyBadger treatment.”

Aside from being fearless, the company is on its way to closing an equity round according to its founder, Shannon Kinney. The capital will be used to ramp up sales and marketing efforts.

Kinney said the $100,000 has been committed in the round with another $30,000 to $50,000 “soft circled.”

Kinney said revenue is expected to be between $2.5 million and $3.2 million this year, trending towards $5 million within 18 months of January 2018.

“We have had eight months of beating budget and projections, including two record setting months,” she said.

The company had previously raised nearly $1 million in convertible debt over the course of several seed rounds since 2013. It recently completed transitioning those convertible note holders to equity stakeholders, according to a filing with the SEC.

Ten investors representing $997,027 in debt had been converted to equity as part of the “conversion transaction,” according to the filing. Those early investors are Maine Venture Fund, five members of Maine Angels, and three independent investors, according to Kinney.

“When we first raised capital in 2013, it was too early to place a valuation on the company that was real, and so we began as convertible debt with interest payments. This year, as the company continues it’s strong growth, we converted the investors to shareholders. Very exciting time for all involved,” Kinney said.

This article is courtesy of Maine Startups Insider, created by Whit Richardson, a journalist who’s covered Maine’s business community for the past decade. Visit Maine Startups Insider to read more about Maine’s startup community and subscribe to the weekly newsletter.

]]>https://tech.co/dream-local-digital-capital-2017-08/feed0284355https://tech.co/dream-local-digital-capital-2017-08Vets First Choice Acquires Arizona-Based Pharmacies, Expands Footprinthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/E0uhWOv-IR8/vets-first-choice-az-pharmacies-2017-08
https://tech.co/vets-first-choice-az-pharmacies-2017-08#respondThu, 17 Aug 2017 11:15:00 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285637Vets First Choice, a company that serves as an online pharmacy for 30,000 veterinary practices and provides home delivery of medications and wellness diets to pet owners, is continuing to expand its footprint and suite of services it provides veterinary practices, this time via acquisition.

The Portland, Maine-based company, announced that it has acquired Roadrunner Pharmacy and Atlas Pharmaceuticals, both Phoenix-based companies that operate as compounding pharmacies.

Vets First Choice is not releasing financial details of the transactions. (Technically, it’s Direct Vet Marketing doing the acquiring, as Vets First Choice is simply a dba, but I often use the Vets First Choice moniker to avoid confusion.)

Ben Shaw, co-founder and CEO of Vets First Choice

Vets First Choice, which recently closed a $223 million round of equity fundraising, said the acquisitions “are part of a global initiative to professionalize prescription management services for veterinary practices,” according to the company press release.

The acquisitions increase Vets First Choice’s total number of employees by 50 percent, to 750, spread across offices in Maine, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska and Texas.

The major infusion of capital Vets First Choice announced last month did help enable these acquisitions, Ben Shaw, Vets First Choice’s founder and CEO, told Maine Startups Insider.

“The equity round was important to these transactions, and others,” Shaw said. “We have a big and compelling pipeline of strategic opportunities around the world at various stages of development, and expect that Vets First Choice will be very active in M&A activity for many years to come.”

According to Crunchbase, Vets First Choice has made one earlier acquisition—a company called VetCentric, which offered similar home delivery of medications to pet owners, in 2012.

Of the two Arizona-based pharmacy companies Vets First Choice is acquiring, Roadrunner Pharmacy is the largest. It is a specialty compounding pharmacy, licensed in all 50 states, that employs more than 250 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and other service-related staff. Atlas Pharmaceuticals is a new, much smaller company (only seven employees) that provides compounded sterile and non-sterile drugs for in-office use. Compounding is when a pharmacist or physician combines two or more drugs to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient.

The fact both newly acquired companies are based in Phoenix is not a coincidence. Roadrunner and Atlas are related. Eaton Veterinary Pharmaceuticals Inc., owner of Roadrunner Pharmacy, formed Atlas Pharmaceuticals in 2016 in the wake of a new law, the Drug Quality and Security Act, that created a new type of outsourced compounding pharmacy, known as a 503B facility. Unlike traditional compounding pharmacies, the Atlas 503B facility produces medications under the same FDA current good manufacturing processes that are applicable to drug manufacturers, according to the news release.

“There is a significant need among practitioners for access to quality office-use compounded medications that meet regulatory requirements,” Nancy Costlow, director at Atlas Pharmaceuticals, said in a statement. “By meeting the strict standards set forth by the FDA for 503B outsourcing facilities, we’re giving practitioners peace of mind about quality, and addressing a huge unmet need.”

This article is courtesy of Maine Startups Insider, created by Whit Richardson, a journalist who’s covered Maine’s business community for the past decade. Visit Maine Startups Insider to read more about Maine’s startup community and subscribe to the weekly newsletter.

]]>https://tech.co/vets-first-choice-az-pharmacies-2017-08/feed0285637https://tech.co/vets-first-choice-az-pharmacies-2017-084 Tools to Help Startups Find Quality Leadshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/PECOlvH830E/tools-startup-find-quality-leads-2017-08
https://tech.co/tools-startup-find-quality-leads-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 21:00:55 +0000https://tech.co/?p=280434Finding potential customers continues to be a huge challenge not only for established marketing and sales teams but also for startup executives and solo entrepreneurs. A study in 2013 showed that 61 percent of marketers found it hard to generate high-quality leads.
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It is not that there is a lack of lead generation tools, particularly for business-to-business (B2B) firms. It’s just that there are far too many choices out there. You need to find lead gen tools that will convert leads, fill your sales funnel, and increase your revenue effectively. You need to have a strategy. Build a stack, an all-in-one solution if you may, out of your favorite tools. Here are some of our top recommendations to get you started:

Sign up and start using this solution’s simple search interface. Enter the person’s name and company domain. Click the button “Go ahead, Norbert.” And voila! The result will appear in a panel below the search fields, indicating if it’s a 100 percent confirmed email address. Your registration comes with 60 credits. After that, you have the option to pick a plan that fits your needs.

Voila Norbert is fast and effective if you know the full name and affiliation/s of the individual you’re trying to find. It’s more efficient than mining contact details on LinkedIn or asking for them via Twitter. Aside from manual lookup, you can upload a .CSV file and do a bulk search.

Pricing:

This tool is suitable for organizations that want to capture high-quality leads from among their website visitors — be it for capturing consulting inquiries, demo requests, or webinar signups. It offers a variety of conversion-optimized templates, which B2B firms, agencies, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and universities can use. Through the use of intelligent and interactive forms, Leadformly promises more effective conversion by two to three times than its competitor.

What’s more? You can build it into your current setup without too much fuss. It integrates with 600+ customer relationship management systems (CRMs), marketing automation tools, and landing page builders. However, Leadformly doesn’t come with a free trial.

Pricing:

Essential – for growing startups, $37/month
Growth – for small businesses and professional marketers, $74/month
Team – for agencies and marketing teams, $149/month

Now that you have access to a ton of verified email addresses, the next step is to send out a cold email to each contact. But before jumping right in, you have to look for a solution that is easy to control and manage. It should save you a heap of time since you’re going to deal with a lot of leads.

Mailshake does just that. It will create a personalized email campaign based on your answers to simple questions. You will also be able to schedule follow-ups and emails using link click triggers. Monitor how your messages are doing via charts and stats. Connect your Google account with Milkshake to get started.

Pricing:

This software features a set of tools dedicated to helping you host flawless and productive webinars every step of the way. ClickMeeting lets you create signup forms so you can collect and organize information from your prospects. Then it assists you in preparing an invite to send out to them. It gives you the freedom to choose which elements are going into the webinar room just like you would for a physical venue.

When the webinar goes live, you can make it interactive and keep your audience engaged using the screen sharing, whiteboard, and presentation tools, among others. Afterward, you will have access to webinar and attendee statistics, from which you can derive useful predictions and trends.

Pricing (billed annually):

Bonus Tool: Promo bar

A non-intrusive way to keep potential customers interested in your products or services, the promo bar is typically placed at the top or bottom of your website. WordPress or Squarespace, for instance, provide templates that blend this feature seamlessly into your website’s overall design. But first and foremost, you have to craft an exciting promo in order to attract good leads.

]]>https://tech.co/tools-startup-find-quality-leads-2017-08/feed0280434https://tech.co/tools-startup-find-quality-leads-2017-08Artificial Intelligence Could Replace 1.4M American Workershttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/2oCdn17N0rA/artificial-intelligence-delete-jobs-2017-08
https://tech.co/artificial-intelligence-delete-jobs-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 19:50:59 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285849To follow the fickle artificial intelligence industry is to understand, and even appreciate, the fact that it can be interpreted differently by many people.

Recently Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk became embroiled in a good old fashioned internet beef when Musk called the Facebook founder’s understanding of artificial intelligence “limited” after Zuckerberg disparaged unnamed “people who are naysayers” he deemed “irresponsible.”

I've talked to Mark about this. His understanding of the subject is limited.

Regardless of where one stands on the potential future benefits and pitfalls of AI, there is one major U.S. industry that’s already reaping the tangible rewards and dealing with the multitude of current threats that comes with embracing artificial technology as it stands in 2017, automobiles.

By the end of the decade, the majority of new cars will come with some semblance of AI built into them such as voice recognition, auto-pilot mode, or even the ability to perform self-diagnostics and maintenance. And as many before me have pointed out, humans will soon be less ‘driver’ and more ‘cargo’ when it comes to their experience on the wide open road.

However, what about those drivers whose job it is to be responsible for — and therefore distinguishable from — the cargo they’re hauling?

In October 2016, Uber’s self-driving truck completed the world’s first autonomous truck delivery from Fort Collins 120 miles south to Colorado Springs, with 50,000 cans of Budweiser in tow. And just a few months ago, the company unveiled Uber Freight: a brokerage service connecting shippers and truckers through a new standalone app.

“It is showing what the future will be like,” said Uber Freight’s product lead, Eric Berdinis. “There are lots of path that that could happen. Nothing to go into detail on now.”

The occupation that has been fortuitously immune to both globalization and automation and is about to get a right hook in the jaw. Natalie Kitroeff of The Los Angeles Timesreported last September that robots could replace some 1.4 million American truckers over the next 10 years.

“There’s also a sweeter financial incentive for automating trucks. Trucking is a $700-billion industry, in which a third of costs go to compensating drivers,” explains Kitroeff. “If you can get rid of the drivers, those people are out of jobs, but the cost of moving all those goods goes down significantly.”

The loss of those reliable $42,500/year average salaries is going to do a number on our nation’s economy and psyche, like no malevolent Android could ever dream of doing.

And if we’re not smart about how we handle this natural consequence of artificial intelligence, then we’re a lot dumber than we look.

]]>https://tech.co/artificial-intelligence-delete-jobs-2017-08/feed0285849https://tech.co/artificial-intelligence-delete-jobs-2017-08Trump Business Councils Are Disbanding After More CEOs Departhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/2co8d4EiBGU/trump-councils-disbands-2017-08
https://tech.co/trump-councils-disbands-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 18:45:03 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285888Tech and media giants including Google and Paypal have reaffirmed their stance against hate groups in the wake of a violent white nationalist protest in Charlottesville last Saturday in which a white nationalist drove a car into a crowd of protesters, killing one individual and wounding 19 others. Following a series of tepid responses from President Donald Trump, numerous top CEOs have left the various Trump-led panels they had previously been a part of.

Now, following these high-profile departures, Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum and the American Manufacturing Council — both business advisory councils — are disbanding entirely.

The Timeline

After Trump’s initial response failed to call out the white supremacists and Neo-Nazis involved in the event, Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma resigned from the American Manufacturing Council. Trump then released a more specific statement on Monday condemning racism in all forms, before following this up with a Tuesday press conference in which he reiterated his initial insinuation that violence on both sides equated white nationalists with their protesters.

During these few days, more members of the American Manufacturing Council left —representatives from Intel and Under Armour — as well as members of other Trump-led panels. A fourth member of the same Manufacturing Council, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, stepped down on Tuesday.

Disbanding Trump’s Panels

Today, two panels have been disbanded — both after losing members due to their disapproval with the current administration’s response to the Charlottesville attack.

“Members of President Donald Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum have agreed to disband the group,” sources told CNBC, “as corporate backlash mounts against the president.

‘The thinking was it was important to do as a group,’ a member told CNBC. ‘As a panel, not as individuals because it would have more significant impact. It makes a central point that it’s not going to go forward. It’s done.'”

Following this news, Trump took to Twitter to announce his own dismantling of the American Manufacturing Council while also referencing the Strategic and Policy Forum’s decision to disband:

Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!

]]>https://tech.co/trump-councils-disbands-2017-08/feed0285888https://tech.co/trump-councils-disbands-2017-08The Harbor Announces CoHort 8 Accelerator in Charlestonhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/o1soK2KQc3o/harbor-cohort-accelerator-charleston-2017-08
https://tech.co/harbor-cohort-accelerator-charleston-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 17:30:06 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285808This week Charleston’s nonprofit accelerator announced the latest startups to join their 14-week program. Dubbed CoHort 8, eight new startups from the Charleston area will gain mentorship, weekly courses, a free workspace, and various additional resources to support and fuel their growth. In addition to building a foundation, The Harbor will assist these startups in finding market fit and establishing themselves as a viable company.

“We’re thrilled to welcome these 8 companies into the Accelerator Program! We continue to be impressed with the quality and enthusiastic about the development of startup companies seeking the program,” said John Osborne, Cofounder and Director of The Harbor Entrepreneur Center. “We hope the Charleston community will get to know these companies, and support them in their journey. “

In addition to The Harbor’s accelerator program that will put CoHort 8 startups through classes such as setting pricing and telling their story, the nonprofit also offers entrepreneur forums, monthly events, and coworking spaces.

“I am encouraged to see the diverse companies starting CoHort 8 already bonding and lifting each other up as they start this 14 week journey together. They will grow, fail, learn, and create together, culminating in a final pitch November 15th to showcase all of the hard work put in. I have no doubt the Charleston startup scene will rally behind these 8 growing companies, to ultimately take another step forward as a united community.” -Dee Hamill, TOW DATT (The One Who Does All The Things) at The Harbor Entrepreneur Center

CoHort 8 Startups

Envies is a natural flavoring for cocktails and carbonated beverages. Concentrated and convenient, Envies is made with natural flavors and sweeteners which offers a low calorie, gluten free alternative to high calorie, high sugar and aspartame filled beverages and cocktail mixers.

Indexic is a SaaS provider that specializes in the tour industry. Their flagship product, Event Book Manager, offers reservation management for tour companies to use to run their business. Their latest product, AWaiver, is an electronic waiver signing software that enables customers/clients to sign liability waivers prior to arriving at the event location.

Interloop delivers predictive sales analytics to give executives and managers visibility into forecasts and at-risk deals, combined with insights and tools for reps in the field to take immediate action.

Case Status is an app designed to solve the communication disconnect between attorneys and their clients. It is designed to solve a major pain point for attorneys who work on a contingency basis. Clients will be able to access the app and view what is going on in their case in real-time, and refer attorneys with a click of a button. Case Status also allows attorneys and clients to send quick messages to each other, and clients can view what to expect next as their case progresses.

Green Blox offers a lightweight, interlocking alternative to traditional bricks, blocks, and pavers. The blocks are made from 100 percent upcycled plastic, and for every brick that is purchased, they will provide a brick overseas to help construct homes for those in need. Their products are versatile, and can be used to build patios, fences, privacy screens, patio furniture, or as hands-on learning tools for children.

Taste helps people find the best local places to eat and drink. It also let’s you compare your favorites with those closest to you. By removing reviews and one-to-five star ratings, Taste could intrinsically reshape the way people decide where to go eat and drink through a positive exchange: favorites.

Collective Force is a mission based company that serves schools, churches, and nonprofits through a free mobile fundraising platform. They create service minded relationships between the consumer, local businesses, and local nonprofits. They will also pledge profits to the Collective Force Foundation, which serves local nonprofits.

]]>https://tech.co/harbor-cohort-accelerator-charleston-2017-08/feed0285808https://tech.co/harbor-cohort-accelerator-charleston-2017-08What It’s Like to Graduate From a Corporate Acceleratorhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/bydgVdmk8Lc/graduate-startup-corporate-accelerator-2017-08
https://tech.co/graduate-startup-corporate-accelerator-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 16:20:49 +0000https://tech.co/?p=284690Joining a corporate accelerator is a big decision for any startup founder and it’s not to be taken lightly. The companies are looking for teams with products that not only will help their bottom line and expand their product offering but also to add value to the industry.

We asked four founders who graduated from a corporate accelerator to offer their insight and talk about the benefits of being a part of this type of program.

Why They Joined a Corporate Accelerator

For many, joining a corporate accelerator program offers the founders the opportunity for industry experts to help them gain a deeper understanding of the market and build solutions for a global market. Scott Lininger, CEO, CTO and cofounder of Bitsbox and graduate of AT&T Aspire Accelerator said the specialization of these programs could be a tremendous benefit to a startup.

“Corporate accelerators tend to be more focused on a specific set of problems, such as education or workforce readiness. If your startup matches these problems, you’re getting the benefit of all their years of thinking about them,” Lininger said.

And when your company is ready to hit the next level, a corporate accelerator can help amplify that process. Michelle Brown, founder and CEO of CommonLit and graduate of the AT&T Aspire Accelerator said the company was ready for this experience.

“Timing was a big factor. We had achieved proof of concept, but we needed support to fully develop our solution and bring it to scale,” Brown said.

What They Gained

The ability to be in company with industry leaders, top experts and a global network that could help one’s company scale was a big draw for the founders.

Felicia Schneiderhan, CEO of 30 Seconds to Fly and graduate of Cockpit Accelerator which is led by jetBlue and El Al Airlinessaid their company wanted to dig into the industry and expand their knowledge and network.

“As a tech startup in the travel industry we face many challenges because the industry is extremely antiquated. We decided to join an airlines accelerator because we wanted to understand the industry better and access its network and knowledge,” Schneiderhan said.

“Market power is concentrated with a few big players which are built around legacy systems that got implemented decades ago. What makes penetrating the industry even harder is that travel technology expertise is very specific and difficult to access.”

Jason Grad, founder at Bstow and graduate of Barclays Techstars said by gaining access to some of the top experts in the world it helped their company achieve milestones and produce a higher quality product.

“We achieved all of our goals. Bstow learned how to be a better company from Techstars and gained access to their network, improved our product by speaking with some of the best cybersecurity experts in the world, and partnered with Barclays Bank – one of the largest banks in the world,” Grad said. “By going through bank-level New Product Approval process, Bstow must comply with higher security standards than any of our competitors.”

Intense Mentorship

Once a startup is accepted into a program, there is an invested interest to help that company succeed and scale. As a result, the corporate accelerator provides a large amount resources, talent and intellect in a short period of time to elevate the startup. Schneiderhan shares her experience:

“During the program we worked closely with El Al and JetBlue. We attended regular sessions where representatives from the airlines and other travel tech companies gave insights into the technology and supply structures of the industry. The travel industry is very complex and often information online is conflicting or difficult to access. Having a pool of experts at our disposal was extremely valuable. We weren’t expected to know the industry inside out but instead it was much more important to be able to pick up new insights fasts and make the connection between the dots rapidly.”

Listening is probably the most valuable thing you could do when you are a part of these programs.

Brown said, “Mentally prepare yourself to do a lot of listening, absorb a lot of information in a short amount of time and be open to testing your assumptions – your company will be better for it. After an accelerator program, you will need to kick off a lot of new projects. I recommend having structures in place to bring the learning you did back to your team.

“The mentors in the program were very experienced industry experts who took the time to get to know our pain points and tried to help us see around corners and focus on the big picture. These aren’t just “fly-by” mentors – these are people that become really invested in your long-term success.”

Building Friendships

While going through an intense corporate accelerator program you’re bound to make valuable connections and friendships with those who want to help you succeed. Lininger said,

“Just remember that the most valuable thing you get out of accelerators are the friendships and connections you make. The money, program, and several months of structure are nice, but when that’s all over it’s the people you’d keep going back to.”

]]>https://tech.co/graduate-startup-corporate-accelerator-2017-08/feed0284690https://tech.co/graduate-startup-corporate-accelerator-2017-08Sell Your Old iPhone With Ease: Everything You Need to Knowhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/fSl0GO_OlkI/how-sell-old-iphone-2017-08
https://tech.co/how-sell-old-iphone-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 15:30:21 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285744The circle of life typically applies to the animal kingdom, but your iPhone goes through a similar process: You buy a new one, wear it out for a year or two, and then sell it off in order to get the pocket money to buy the latest brand-new iPhone model. But in order to pull that off, you’ll need to know the options for how and where to sell your old iPhone in order to make the most money off it.

Here’s a rundown of where to look and what location to sell your phone to, based on a number of variables.

What to Do First

Before you so much as consider a site to sell to, you’ll need a sellable phone. First, unlock it: Call up your carrier and explore your options. Some carriers may ask you to pay to break the contract, while others may have special conditions. If you can unlock the phone, it’s more valuable — depending on how old it is, some of the sites and outlets listed below may not even accept it if it’s locked.

Next, back up your iPhone. Make sure you’re online, and then go to Settings, tap “iCloud,” tap “Backup,” and tap “Back Up Now.” Finally, you’ll need to wipe the phone. Tab back to Settings, hit “General,” then tap “Reset” all the way at the bottom of the list, and follow that up with “Erase All Content and Settings.” Boom, you’re ready to sell your old iPhone.

Trade It Back to Apple

Apple’s trade-in program will give you store credit of up to $260 towards your next iPhone purchase. You’d better have it in good condition, though: Prices drop off quickly for those who can’t offer up a spotless phone. Apple will give you around $45 for an iPhone 5, $135 for an iPhone 6, and $260 for the iPhone 6s Plus.

Let’s be honest: Plenty of iPhone owners are die-hard Apple fans, and this option is great for them. For everyone else, it might be too restrictive, as Apple’s high standards can make it tough to get rid of a phone. But if it’s the easy option you want, just check out the next option:

Sell It to Amazon

Amazon offers a trade-in page here which details how to get paid by Amazon. Just select the condition of your phone. Once Amazon knows if the device powers on, is disconnected from iCloud, has any screen cracks, or is still being financed through your carrier, they’ll be able to tell you if they can buy it and how much they’ll offer.

Then, review the order and print out the label Amazon creates to let you mail in the device yourself. Amazon gives you 30 days to mail it in, so you can even keep using your old phone right up until the next one arrives.

Sell It to a Reseller

Gazelle is the most well-known reseller, but the process to sell your old iPhone through any of these is fairly similar: Just pick out your make, model, phone carrier, and the condition your phone is in, and you’ll get the amount the reseller is willing to pay. If it works for you, they’ll send you the packaging you’ll need to send it out.

Glyde goes back the farthest: They’ll buy as far back as an iPhone 3GS, which will only net you eight dollars.

NextWorth will also buy any other smartphone you might have, from Samsungs to Sonys to LGs to Nokias. This isn’t the way to make the most money — these resellers all still need to take a cut, so they’ll offer you less for the phone — but it’s easily the most simple way. Lazy phone owners, this option’s for you.

Sell It to a Retailer

Walmart offers a relaxed iPhone trade-in program, and the only downside is that you’ll be making that money back in Walmart gift cards only. If Walmart isn’t close enough, Best Buy offers the same service. If you’ve read this far, the path to sell your old iPhone should be clear: Fill out the specs, and see how much the company is willing to offer you.

Sell It Yourself

Chances are good that you weren’t thrilled with the amount that the above sites offered. If you’re willing to forego the simple path in order to wring another fifty or a hundred bucks out of your phone sale, there are two great options left to you: eBay and Craigslist. With either one, you’ll have to set up your ad or auction by yourself, and either know the best practices for either site or be willing to learn them. But you’ll likely make more money than reselling to one of the services above: For a newer model in great condition, $400 or $500 isn’t unreasonable.

Just remember: If you opt for Craigslist, set up the meeting in a well-lit public location.

And Don’t Forget to Sell Your Old Accessories

You can even make a little pocket change off of your old iPhone dock or expensive case by throwing them into your eBay and Craigslist posting. If they’re only compatible with your old phone, you might as well. But if you opt to sell your old iPhone through Apple, Amazon, or the other resellers, don’t bother: They don’t have options to accept your earbuds, no matter how strong the sentimental value.

Once you’re done, sit back and relax: The circle of your iPhone’s life is complete — at least until about this time next year.

]]>https://tech.co/how-sell-old-iphone-2017-08/feed0285744https://tech.co/how-sell-old-iphone-2017-08Study: Customers Are Ditching Ecommerce Carts Due to Security Riskshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/EHLLHDOBdk8/customers-ecommerce-security-risks-2017-08
https://tech.co/customers-ecommerce-security-risks-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 14:50:35 +0000https://tech.co/?p=283490Ecommerce is all about conversions. If you can’t get customers to push that big scary PURCHASE button at the end of their shopping cart, you’re going to be in big problem before you know it. Fortunately, there are plenty of tips out there to help you design your shopping cart experience in a way that creates conversions. And you better heed those tips, because customers are looking for any excuse to avoid pressing that big scary button.

According to research from Visa, 72 percent of shoppers have abandoned their shopping carts on retailer websites and apps due to finding the payment process tedious or concerns over online security. Dubbed “basket anxiety,” this fear is preventing huge portions of ecommerce shoppers form making purchases.

“Retailers who are able to address consumer concerns in relation to the security and convenience of the payments process will avoid losing out on sales,” said Kevin Jenkins managing director of Visa UK and Ireland. “Furthermore, they will tap into the vast opportunities offered by online retail.”

The primary problem is security. With more and more cyber attacks making headline news, it’s no wonder customers are wary of inputting private information, particularly a credit card number. To make matters worse, their fear is justified, as few customers know how dangerous shopping online can really be. For the ecommerce industry, that means a change needs to be made.

“The UK leads Europe in ecommerce sales, with mobile shopping in particular experiencing rapid growth,” said Jenkins. “But, with so many consumers abandoning baskets during the buying process, there is a clear need for new, easy, secure ways to pay.”

The study, which surveyed 1,000 British online shoppers, came away with a lot of other interesting ecommerce-related takeaways that should help inform you on future decisions for your business. For one, 90 percent of Millennials have made an online purchase on their mobile device, a substantial increase from the average of 67 percent. So if you want to make sure people are actually buying stuff through your website, a secure mobile page is a good place to start.

]]>https://tech.co/customers-ecommerce-security-risks-2017-08/feed0283490https://tech.co/customers-ecommerce-security-risks-2017-08Why Local Broadcasters Are Turning to Augmented Realityhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/lb1FmYsvf_Y/news-media-augmented-reality-2017-08
https://tech.co/news-media-augmented-reality-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 13:20:53 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285724Augmented reality (AR) is growing in use by broadcast news outlets — even local news studios are exploring AR as a tool to bring their broadcasts up to date and engage their audiences. It’s a sign of the evolving times that a growing tech niche like AR is quietly slipping into the mainstream, even among studios not known for their tech expertise.

Why AR Works

AR has one major driving force behind its adaptation: It’s cheap.

As much as tech-heads love extolling the benefits of everything from VR to mech suits to flying cars, nothing ever catches on unless it’s accepted by the masses, and thanks to income inequality, the masses are keeping their checkbooks close to their vest. Unlike VR, AR doesn’t require a $700 headset to work. Any 2D screen, from your smartphone to your TV set, can handle AR. And on the producer end, the images can transposed to a live feed far more cheaper than a VR feed could be.

That’s how Pokemon Go and other AR games took off, and it’s why local broadcasts are picking up on it.

20 Percent of Broadcasters Use AR

According to the TV trade publication Newscast Studio, around 20 percent of broadcasters are “currently utilizing augmented reality in some capacity.” While that number may seem small, its a strong showing for such a new tech advancement, which many are still terming a gamble.

Newscast also highlighted the vendors helping broadcasters use AR: Vizrt, Ross Video, and Avid. The main areas that augmented reality has proven useful include weather — “AR graphics can display data in ways that don’t require the viewer to work too hard or the meteorologist to verbalize every statistic” — opinion polls and, especially, traffic — “Inserted shots of the construction, weather or accident that’s blocking the road can lend a sense of inside knowledge to a report that says more than an app ever could.”

Companies are seeing a sharp decrease or complete halt in downloads. Even the biggest app publishers notice growth moving at a snail’s pace. A recent report showed that the top 15 apps exhibited a 20 percent decline year-over-year, accompanied by only a 3 percent growth. Meanwhile, ComScore’s mobile app report indicates that half of smartphone users download zero apps per month.

Still, app development is far from going out of style. In fact, the total number of iOS apps available in Apple’s App Store has reached 2.2 million, almost double of what it was three years ago.

So, given this huge increase in available apps, what has happened to impede the growth of the once explosive app marketplace?

The App Hype is Over

When Apple first unleashed the famous 2009 tagline, “There’s an app for that,” they meant it. Games, shopping portals, quick reference tools, on-demand music, and social media dominated the app marketplace and saw steady growth as the smartphone rose to power.

But now, smartphones are no longer novel. They’re ubiquitous, and the app hype has worn itself thin. Already satisfied with their current assortment of apps, people don’t tend to search for new ones (that is, unless something game-changing comes along–Uber and Snapchat have both experienced tremendous app growth in the past couple years, more than doubling their user bases in a single year).

Another theory is that there’s no longer just “an app for that;” there are too many apps for everything. With competition riding on the coattails of others’ successes, the app market remains flooded with so many duplicates and spinoff apps that it’s hard to differentiate between the original and its successors. And if any of those similar apps come at a freemium price, you can bet you’ll see your numbers drop.

Engagement, Not Downloads

Still, the trend away from app downloads doesn’t mean you should pull the plug on your app strategy. App growth numbers are only one part of the bigger picture. With the end of the app hype, it’s less important to focus on number of downloads and more important to keep users engaged.

Take Facebook and Amazon as examples. They can’t find many new users; after all, lots of people already have their apps installed. But despite their low app growth, each continues to drive record-breaking app revenue. Why? Because rather than focus on increasing the download rate, they engage existing users with their apps.

While purpose, usability, and design are essential components of successful apps, they still aren’t the entire answer when it comes to app engagement. Even if your app appears interesting, well-designed, and pleasant to use, your users might fail to see its everyday value. And app downloads don’t mean much if your users abandon it after just a few months and nearly 80 percent of them do.

Nearly all app time on smartphones happens within a user’s single most used app. So how can your app become a person’s daily go-to?

Emerging Solutions in Marketing

This is where marketing is key, and a good strategy for maximizing engagement is to market your app to a narrower audience. Rather than try to get as many people as possible to download your app, you can tailor your advertising to a specific type of person. This increases the likelihood that those who do download your app actually use it, as it puts your app directly in the path of the most likely users.

Targeted advertising can be used to encourage app downloads–but it shouldn’t be the only focus. It’s up to app developers, of course, to decide what new features they should add to increase their app’s appeal. But whatever features they choose, they should prioritize a marketing strategy that targets those who’ve already demonstrated potential interest.

A few strategies already serve as creative examples for marketing apps to the right people. Some mobile advertising companies create rewarded video ads which, though optional, incentivize the user to watch with in-app rewards. Rewarded video ads, which are most often situated in mobile games, directly appeal to viewers by employing themes similar to those in the relevant gaming app.

Regardless of your app marketing strategy, the point is that aiming for app downloads is no longer relevant. Instead, you should focus on engaging existing users to ensure that your app doesn’t go neglected. In the over-saturated and continuously growing app market, you do not need a million downloads to achieve success. More does not always mean better.

]]>https://tech.co/app-growth-marketing-strategy-2017-08/feed0282983https://tech.co/app-growth-marketing-strategy-2017-08The Challenges of Building a Startup Ecosystem in a Small Townhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/7Q6a_AlZI0E/startupseverywhere-tennessee-small-town-2017-08
https://tech.co/startupseverywhere-tennessee-small-town-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 12:30:00 +0000http://tech.co/?p=271976The town of Jackson, Tennessee, is known for it’s gorgeous Cypress Grove Nature park, Casey Jones Museum and baseball. Within the community Lisa Garner, executive director at theCO, is hard at work building a tech ecosystem and encouraging people to bring their startup ideas to fruition.

This time for the #StartupsEverywhere series, Lisa talks with me about the challenges of building an ecosystem in a small town, who is rolling up their sleeve to help and her theCO entity.

Lisa Garner is the Executive Director of theCO in Jackson, TN

What’s your role in your ecosystem?

I am theCO’s Executive Director. My role has a number of facets—I manage the space and our employees, plan and organize our events and programming, and do the initial mentoring for entrepreneurs at theCO, among other things. I also run my own company, Garner Blue, making and selling hand-dyed indigo textiles and accessories. This has been especially helpful in my role at theCO, because as a business owner myself, I’m able to offer our founders a unique perspective.

Can you tell us a little more about theCO?

TheCO is the front door for innovation in West Tennessee. We are a resource, collaborative community, and support system for everyone from the serial entrepreneur to those taking their first plunge into business ownership. TheCO provides a place to design, prototype, and physically build that idea in your head via our makerspace (there’s robotics, woodworking, an electronics lab, metal working tools, lasers and 3D printers).

We also have a coworking space that serves as a great alternative to working from home, providing a modern, professional space to meet with clients. Programmatically, theCO hosts community meetups, workshops, and business cohorts. We also help to grow coding talent locally through our Dev Catalyst program for high schoolers, various workshops, and much more.

Overall, we work to support entrepreneurs, makers, creatives and tech enthusiasts, and providing access to space, mentors, education, and community.

What is the biggest challenge you face in Jackson?

Our biggest challenge is getting people to step out on a limb to start and develop their ideas. While being in a small community has its advantages, it also means that we haven’t had the record of success seen in Silicon Valley, Nashville or Memphis. There’s a common mindset that: “I’m in West Tennessee, sometimes I don’t even have access to the internet, how could I create a successful startup here?”

But that’s one of the things theCO is trying to change. Last year we transformed an old school bus into a Mobile Innovation Lab (casually known as theCO:mobile), which we drive around western Tennessee in an effort to remind folks in our community that there is no reason they can’t start the next big company right here at home. This spring, we’re planning to take theCO:mobile to several colleges in our region to engage with students. The bus houses our 3D printer, virtual reality stations, and other equipment, as well as a computer lab so that we can teach coding skills on the road.

TheCO also facilitates a business bootcamp program called CO.STARTERS to help bridge the gap for aspiring entrepreneurs, or even founders who are working on a second or third company. The CO.STARTERS program was developed right across the state in Chattanooga and is a 9 week bootcamp that helps aspiring entrepreneurs to hone their idea, identify potential customers, develop a business plan, and turn their business ideas into action. Over the past two years, almost 50 different companies have gone through the program at theCO and their companies are continuing to grow.

What are some of the other inputs that have helped your ecosystem grow?

Being part of the broader LaunchTN network has been incredibly helpful. As background, LaunchTN is a network of seven regional entrepreneur centers (of which theCO is one) that was created by the Tennessee legislature in 1998 to provide resources to entrepreneurs as they build their companies around the state. It is incredibly helpful for connecting founders in Jackson to mentors and resources in other parts of Tennessee.

We also have a very supportive local corporate community. For example, West Tennessee Healthcare, one of the largest employers in our area, partnered with theCO and the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) out of Atlanta in 2015 to create a program for doctors, nurses, and anyone else working on a medical device to pitch ideas and move forward on prototypes for devices with the help of GCMI.

Have you had interactions with local or national policymakers?

Yes—at the local level, our city and county mayors have been incredibly supportive of theCO’s work and regularly attend our events and engage with our startup community. The Governor has also hosted an event in our space and we drove theCO:mobile up to the Governor’s conference last October. There is awareness and appreciation of the work that we’re doing across Tennessee, and the state government has even discussed replicating theCO:mobile to create a number of buses that will travel around more rural areas of Tennessee to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.

What are some of the startups to watch coming out of Jackson?

Lighting Bug, which produces a device that plugs into vehicle headlights to act as an auxiliary light;

iShipdit, which allows small businesses to utilize the unused space on independently owned freight trucks; and,

KlickGo, which provides ride sharing services in Jackson and the surrounding area.

This article is courtesy of Engine's #StartupsEverywhere series, a campaign celebrating the diverse, vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems that are taking root in every corner of the country. Through weekly profiles of startup ecosystem leaders, the project showcases exciting developments in a variety of rising startup communities. If you are interested in having your ecosystem featured, shoot an email to monica@engine.is.

]]>https://tech.co/startupseverywhere-tennessee-small-town-2017-08/feed0271976https://tech.co/startupseverywhere-tennessee-small-town-2017-084 Ways to Incorporate SEO Into Your Facebook Adshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/L3N4rVAo5Kg/4-tips-seo-facebook-ads-2017-08
https://tech.co/4-tips-seo-facebook-ads-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 11:15:20 +0000https://tech.co/?p=280563Many SEO experts focus all their attention on improving a website’s rank for a certain number of keywords. However, even the most narrowly researched set of keywords will still attract an extremely wide array of visitors, and will not target that specific audience that you know will convert (or buy your product).

When a website is ranked on Google, it’s almost unavoidable that at least a portion of your visitors are people who are simply not interested in what your website can offer. Ultimately, you need to rely on the search engine’s ability to understand their intentions, and we all know that its algorithms are all but infallible.

Social media like Instagram or Facebook on the other hand, allow you to customize your audience and finely tune your strategy towards a specific target audience with the same ad. Choosing the right social channels can help your business by bringing you many prospects that are really interested in your service, and, at the same time improve your SEO efforts. By reaching a larger, more specific audience, you’re enhancing your conversion rates, increasing your traffic, building better engagement and much more.

Let’s see how you can complement your SEO strategy with just a few inexpensive Facebook Ads:

Take Your Time to Experiment

Facebook ad campaigns offer you a lot of different options, so there’s no reason not to test them all. Play around with the options until you find the perfect advertising strategy. There are also tons of guides and webinars that can help you find direction.

Facebook will mark any ad as relevant if people already visited a website that is similar to yours. Start building different landing pages and use them to grab diversified demographics or users with different interests. A/B test them and then check them with an SEO tool to understand which one has higher performing content. Not only will you be able see your highest performers, but you will also discover which demographics are making a big impact on your business. That’s just bonus information you can use to plan your future ads.

Reinforce your message by retargeting the same audience

It’s not always possible to keep every page alive in Google SERPs at all times. Sometimes a great post that brought you good conversions will simply fall down to page 5 because you cannot boost it with enough backlinks, or its content grew a little stale over the course of the years. Facebook ads can be pointed towards any page or post, regardless of its age or ranking. Pointing links to past high performers will help you regenerate people’s interest towards that topic or promotion, reinforce your message and help you increase your conversions without creating new content.

Increase Engagement With Appropriate Content

Facebook keeps track of a lot of data that can be combined with your metrics provided by other tools such as Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics. You can check the number of people who clicked on the ad, how many others just glanced at it without caring, and how many shares it received. All this data will provide you tons of insight and hints on how to improve your content, such as how to optimize the quality of your headlines to increase the number of clicks. You can even switch the preview picture to find the one that grabs more attention without changing the actual page content.

Boost Your SEO Rankings

Many experts claim that Social networks are not useful to improve a site’s Google rankings since their signals cannot affect its algorithms. Although this is true, a potent Facebook advertising strategy can go a long way towards improving your SERP. The first positive effect comes from the increased volume of traffic that is driven to your site. If you targeted your ads to specific demographics, people will spend a lot of time browsing your site and reading its pages. The lower the bounce rate and the higher time-on-site, the better is the SERP bonus you’re going to earn. Knowing which pages are performing better, also, will tell you where you should focus your link building strategies, saving you money building in-house SEO team that’s effective.

The more your content gains visibility, the higher the chances of grabbing new links in an organic way. People may share your pages or posts on their blogs or on other medias, giving you access to a vast amount of relevant links without moving a muscle.

A proper SEO strategy will benefit from integration with the strong social media advertising campaign. Facebook is more than just an additional advertisement channel, it is a critical component of any solid marketing strategy.

]]>https://tech.co/4-tips-seo-facebook-ads-2017-08/feed0280563https://tech.co/4-tips-seo-facebook-ads-2017-08How to Become a Big Data Analyst Companies Wanthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/vVBrIcajxi4/education-big-data-analyst-2017-08
https://tech.co/education-big-data-analyst-2017-08#respondWed, 16 Aug 2017 10:30:46 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285528The advent of modern technology has led to average companies generating massive amounts of data—a volume that can be terrifying to the casual observer. And attempting to analyze said data can bring even more stress ,and is a task that exists far outside the abilities of a program like Excel.

Enter the solution to these troubles: big data analysts and business intelligence professionals. These professionals are now among the most in-demand in the tech industry and beyond. If you want to jumpstart a hot career that will land you a generous paycheck, the Ultimate Data & Analytics Bundle is a solid place to get started.

Throughout 130 courses and 800 hours of content, you’ll learn to mine mass data sets to determine correlations, interrelationships, and trends. Data analytics encompasses a range of moving parts, and this training touches all major skills needed to succeed in the industry.

Included in the bundle are lessons ranging from building macros to achieving data certifications to database training, and more. You’ll study major databases like Oracle SOA Suite, Oracle SQL, RMAN, Oracle Database and Toad. Plus, you’ll earn certificates of completion in SAS, R, Oracle, and more, proving your expertise with tangible additions to your resume. You’ll even learn to code with R, one of the most commonly used programming languages in data analytics, and a variety of popular software tools like Tableau—more meaningful points to catch the eye of a recruiter.

The methods learned in these courses are sure to give you a competitive advantage in the tech field, or even throughout other industries that are looking to boost their analytics departments. With the knowledge gained from the Ultimate Data & Analytics Bundle, you’ll both increase your value and your earning potential— and you can get lifetime access for just $39 today. Buy it here.

]]>https://tech.co/education-big-data-analyst-2017-08/feed0285528https://tech.co/education-big-data-analyst-2017-086 Gadgets Every Startup Needs In Their First Officehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/S7lAisNrzHw/gadgets-every-startup-first-office-2017-08
https://tech.co/gadgets-every-startup-first-office-2017-08#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 21:00:09 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285496It’s a bit daunting when your startup reaches the milestone of needing its first office, both logistically and financially. However, having built out a few offices in my day, I assure you it will be an unforgettably rewarding experience as well.

As long as you…

Invest In A Router That Will Last

Before I make a specific router recommendation, let me point out that more companies than you’d realize fail to check with their future landlords about internet connectivity options in the area. Don’t be one of them, or risk getting stuck with only DSL to power your growing business.

Once you’re sure your new office is wired properly though, you’ll want to invest in a wireless router that’ll last you at least a few years — and hopefully a few future offices. The Nighthawk X8—AC5000 from Netgear not only has an awesome name, but it will reliably do the job, and then some.

Settle for a Whiteboard

This is obvious, but I wanted to bring it up in order to emphasize that under no circumstances should you buy anything like “idea paint” or any other coating that lets you ‘magically’ write on your walls. I was pressured into including this in one of our office builds and even with professional contractors prepping the surface before application the results were dismal.

Get a Large Display

Bigger is always better, especially when you’re using a display to present and collaborate. Not to mention, large displays are usually the de facto focal point of any serious conference room, where you’ll presumably be pitching clients and discussing all things digital, so it’s best not to skimp here.

Get a VOIP-Compatible Polycom

I’ve run through just about every conference call setup you can imagine, and every time I attempt to buy something other than Polycom it ends up getting sent back to Amazon.

Don’t waste your time like I did, get a Polycom SoundStation so your clients and investors can actually hear you when your on important calls. And if you don’t have a VoIP provider yet, you’re in luck, as we happen to have recently published a list of some of the best VoIP services available.

Buy a Nintendo Switch

If you’re going to self-identify as a startup, you might as well embrace the culture (and the stereotypes) by keeping a Nintendo Switch on hand.

It will give you a great way to (virtually) escape during those early days when you’ll be living in your office, and I’ve always found Mario Kart to be a very effective method for solving office disputes.

Bonus: Hire a Real Estate Agent

People often wrongly assume that enlisting the services of a real estate agent is too expensive or the business you’d generate for them wouldn’t really be worth their time making it hard to find an agent. But a good real estate agent will invest their time into helping you knowing that you’ll then stick with them as your company grows (and, of course, tell all your startup friends about them).

If you live in an aggressive market (e.g. SF, DC, NY, etc.), I strongly recommend finding someone who knows the lay of the land and working with them to find your new home.

If you’re in the middle of acquiring an office, let me be the first to congratulate you — and wish you luck. The exciting ride we call entrepreneurship is just about to get going, and you’ll remember this experience for the rest of your life.

]]>https://tech.co/gadgets-every-startup-first-office-2017-08/feed0285496https://tech.co/gadgets-every-startup-first-office-2017-08Top 7 Apps for Splitting Bills With Friendshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/JMQRLahv44I/splitting-bills-friends-apps-2017-08
https://tech.co/splitting-bills-friends-apps-2017-08#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 19:50:46 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285583Have you ever had a relaxing Saturday brunch at a new dim sum restaurant with three or four friends only to end your meal with the most stressful math problem of the day: How to split the check? Splitting bills with friends has never been easy: You need to find out who has cash or card, how to fairly break everything down, and how the heck your tip factors into everything.

Fortunately, technology has the answer. Whether you’re splitting lunch, dinner, coffee or even your rent, there’s an app for it. Here’s a comprehensive look at the bill-paying apps available to you.

This one’s the biggest name on this list, and for good reason: It’s a free (on the App Store and Google Play) and streamlined version of just what you want, a simple way to split a bill or repay a friend. And since it boasts the largest audience, your freinds are more likely to already have it downloaded. Getting everyone on the same app can be a major roadbump on the path to paying your bill.

To use the Paypal-owed app, just wait for a friend to pay via connected bank account or debit card, or send them a money request yourself. This one has a fanbase. Just check out their top iTunes review:

“Venmo is a requirement for friendship. If you don’t have Venmo we can’t be friends.”

This app keeps it even more simple: You’ll start by grabbing a snapshot of the bill itself. Once it’s registered in the app, you’ll be able to tap each item that you’ll be paying for, and just send in that amount — appropriate tax and tip included.

With Billr, you can handle the table’s tab: For groups of up to 16 people, just list out the cost of each order item, split the shared appetizers or wine bottles, and then email or text everyone in the group their exact portion of the bill. This way, splitting bills with friends doesn’t require everyone download the same app: One person can do the work, and everyone benefits. You’ll just need an iPhone and 99 cents do handle it, as it’s only on the App Store.

This app tackles everything from utility bills to personal IOUs to groceries. Splitwise keeps a running total of it all, so you can tell who’s turn it is to pay for the next month. The app even sends out cheerful reminder emails. It’s free on the App Store and Google Play.

“Plates by Splitwise” is designed specifically for restaurant bills, so explore that option if this app is popular with the rest of your brunch-loving friends.

One specific “splitting bills with friends” situation can’t really be handled the same way you’d split a dinner, and that’s the rent. Why not? Because it’s too damn high.

There’s now an easy way to ensure that you won’t get stuck with the full rent bill if a shifty roommate tries to avoid you. With Rentmatic — available on the App Store and Google Play — you can automate rent payments. You’ll pay your rent, your roommates can pay theirs, and the app will sort it all out into the property manager’s account.

Divvy combines the benefits of Tab with the UI of Snapchat: You can snap a shot of the bill, and drag each item to the person responsible for it. As always, the tax and tip are portioned out as needed. You can add people into sub-groups who are paying together, making it a great fit for a double date scenario. This one’s on the App Store for 99 cents.

These aren’t apps dedicated to bills, but they offer a simple answer for that one friend who never downloads the bill-splitting app you want. Just arrange how much your app-shy friend owes in real-time, and use on of these two popular online payment services to collect the bounty via email addresses. The email process allows you to request a payment as well, so you’ll be able to usher your friend through the process.

Pick an option from the list above and let your friends know: The main pain in the neck known as splitting bills with friends has just been reduced to a few taps on your handy pocket computer.

]]>https://tech.co/splitting-bills-friends-apps-2017-08/feed0285583https://tech.co/splitting-bills-friends-apps-2017-08How Millennials Manage Their Online Reputation to Attract Employershttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/FyXdzvBlTOI/millennials-online-reputation-job-2017-08
https://tech.co/millennials-online-reputation-job-2017-08#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 18:30:36 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285492If you are a GenXer, you’re probably thrilled that the knucklehead stuff you did as a younger person couldn’t instantly be turned into a video, Snap or Tweet. However, millennials’ lives can be put online by anyone with a smartphone at any moment.

In a recent Domain.Me study by Wakefield Research, 76 percent of millennials are concerned that the information about them online may negatively affect their reputation.

In that same survey, 59 percent of millennials admit that they in fact have been affected by information that appeared online. As this generation emerges onto the workforce in masses, recruiters, employers and founders will be crawling the web and social media feeds to gather a snapshot of each candidate.

We asked millennials in the public relations industry what they do to manage their reputation to attract clients and job opportunities.

Lower the TMI

While putting everything from your morning bagel to party drinks with friends on social media is the norm for this generation, too much information opens the doors to shape the wrong impression for potential employers and clients.

Konnor Buscho, social media coordinator at DigitalWire360, said, “Social media is meant for fun, entertainment, jokes and news. If you start airing out your dirty laundry, not only will strangers/employers judge you, so will your following.”

Stop With the Online Rants

In today’s political arena, online rants, calling people out and brand bashing are showing up more frequently in social feeds. The problem? An online rant can be hyper-damaging to one’s reputation and career path.

In the Wakefield study, 84 percent of millennials said they put something online they regret. Truth be told that deleting a post, tweet or snap doesn’t mean it’s gone forever, and it’s completely possible for someone to capture the content and use it later online.

Stephanie Lough, public relations account executive at DigitalWire360 said, “Lose the ‘It’s my social media feed so I can do/say what I want” mentality. That attitude simply doesn’t translate to the real world. Actions have consequences, so be prepared to take responsibility if your digital actions cause real life problems.”

Experts recommend pausing before you put something out online, especially if you feel your blood boiling, so that you don’t regret the decision later.

The First Impression

The old saying of “you only have one chance to make a first impression” still holds true online. The first thing an employer, recruiter or customers will do is run a Google search and dig in. Whatever they find online gives them the first impression of you.

Lindsey Dempsey, founder of Elite Marketing Savvy, said, “In this day and age, your online reputation is your first impression and possibly your only impression. The employer will Google you before they do anything else and [read] everything that appears under your name. It’s a direct roadmap to see the ‘real you.’ Make sure you like what the Internet defines as ‘the real you.’”

Our experts recommend to begin shaping your social media feed that tells a narrative you want everyone to see.

Consequences of Not Managing Your Rep

By ignoring your online reputation, you are essentially allowing everyone else to write the biography of you.

“Would you let a complete stranger write your professional bio and send it to your boss without reviewing it? [No.]” Lindsey said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, not managing your online reputation can easily cost you the job, boyfriend, friend, and who knows in the future!”

In addition, whatever you haven’t cleaned up in your feeds, posts could return at the most inopportune moments.

Stephanie Riel, a public relations digital strategist, said, “All of your online actions shape your reputation and can resurface at any point in the future. It’s common to hear about people losing their job or clients over past or current posts. That’s even more of a concern for millennials because so much more of our lives have been shared online in the last 10 years.”

It Has to Pass the Mom Test

Before you go ahead and post that selfie holding your 3rd or 4th drink or pop off to a stranger in Facebook, think of mom, would you want her to see that or no?

“Everything you post should pass the boss/mom test. What do I mean by that? You should only post things that you would be ok with your boss and mom seeing. Keep in mind that once you post something on the Internet, it lives forever.” Lindsey said.

Parting Thoughts

We asked our experts to share some quick words of wisdom for millennials on what they do to manage their online reputation.

This article was brought to you in partnership with .ME, the premium top-level domain for professionals focused on building their online reputation. Learn more at www.domain.me.

]]>https://tech.co/millennials-online-reputation-job-2017-08/feed0285492https://tech.co/millennials-online-reputation-job-2017-08For $10 a Month, MoviePass Will Give You All the Movie Tickets You Can Usehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/GBc_xDJBifU/moviepass-movies-free-theater-2017-08
https://tech.co/moviepass-movies-free-theater-2017-08#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 17:30:06 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285707Movie theaters have long dealt with slipping ticket sales by boosting the price to compensate, with 3D, 70mm, and IMAX tickets keeping them from slipping too far into the red — the cost of a ticket has almost doubled over the last twenty years. Now they’ve got a new strategy: Lower ticket prices. Well, technically the third-party company MoviePass is lowering them for you: The company is offering a $9.95-per-month service that will allow you to see as many movies in the theater you want.

The MoviePass deal will give you a card. Just show up at your local participating theater, check in on the app, and MoviePass will load up your card with the exact ticket price you need. Here’s how they explained it on their site today:

“Effective today, we are introducing a universal subscription plan for $9.95 per month. MoviePass will have one price point nationwide and it will be for standard 2D films only. As a subscriber, you can see any movie, at any theater, at any time. For your convenience, we currently support more than 91 percent of movie theaters nationwide. Unfortunately, premium formats such as 3D and IMAX will not be included in this plan.”

MoviePass has offered a similar “Offline Netflix” service for years, but never for lower than $30 per month, so this price point is a radical change. The company just sold a majority stake to raise the funds they need and intends to IPO by March.

How Is It Possible?

MoviePass is paying you the full ticket price for every film you see, which means that you’ll likely earn an entire month’s subscription in a single evening. How could MoviePass possibly benefit? Because they’re getting something else out of the deal: knowledge of your movie-watching habits. Like plenty of other service companies from Facebook to Roomba, MoviePass can turn around and sell the data to advertisers.

“Ted Farnsworth, chief executive officer at Helios and Matheson, said the goal is to amass a large base of customers and collect data on viewing behaviors. That information could then be used to eventually target advertisements or other marketing materials to subscribers,” Bloomberg explains.

In other words, your movie tickets are being subsidized by the advertisements that you’ll be getting for more movies.

Can it really keep movie theaters afloat? Probably not in the same form that they always have been. If the MoviePass ten-dollar plan works out, it could overtake the current, failing revenue model theaters rely on. Maybe MoviePass can start buying up theaters directly, and cut out the middleman to turn movie night into a subscription service. Then they would just need to get Netflix to acquire them.

Or maybe MoviePass will run down the clock on it’s own ad-deal revenue stream and leave theaters to their own devices.

Today Amazon announced their new program Amazon Instant Pickup, a brick and mortar store where Prime and Prime Students can pick up daily essentials in two minutes or less. Amazon has curated some of the most popular items, daily essentials and need-it-now products such as snacks, drinks, technology essentials, Amazon devices, and more. With the acquisition of Whole Foods, we can only hope Amazon will offer more healthy options at their locations.

Customers can simply use the Amazon App to access hundreds products, order and pick it up in an Amazon Locker located at a fully staffed store. Customers can also send their orders to a pickup location and Prime customers can receive Free Same-Day and One-Day delivery on items.

The company is only rolling out these Amazon Instant Pickup stores in five cities — Los Angeles, Atlanta, Berkeley, Columbus and College Park — with more to come. Currently Amazon operates a total of 22 staffed regular pickup locations on or near college campuses across the country. While you won’t be able to grab a 32 oz soda and horrible hot dog at the these locations, there’s no stopping Amazon to find a way in becoming a next-level convenience store.

]]>https://tech.co/amazon-instant-pickup-convenience-2017-08/feed0285696https://tech.co/amazon-instant-pickup-convenience-2017-0815 Corporate Accelerators Giving Startups A Boosthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/uLDK81ZhzZQ/corporate-accelerators-startups-2017-08
https://tech.co/corporate-accelerators-startups-2017-08#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 16:20:54 +0000http://tech.co/?p=270006The corporate world can sometimes seem very disconnected from the startup world. People entering into the world of business can either opt to seek security and gradual mobility in the corporate world or take a gigantic risk and start their own business. Both options reap different rewards. But many corporations nowadays are trying to bridge this gap and find ways to aid startups and innovative entrepreneurs. One of the biggest ways they are doing this is through the creation of corporate accelerators.

Corporate accelerators are essentially the best of both worlds: It’s a medium in which entrepreneurs are encouraged to innovate and improve and also a space that gives corporations the opportunity to improve themselves. This type of collaboration really goes the distance, too. Meritorious entrepreneurs are able to communicate to the corporate world in a way that was previously unavailable and corporations are profiting from it. It’s the perfect symbiosis and a true sign that innovation is a positive force not only for society, but for your wallet too.

These incubators aren’t monolithic, either. From Coca-Cola to Google, every corporation involved in the accelerator game approaches it differently. And that’s a good thing. One thing we’re seeing from the advent of corporate accelerators is that they are extremely adaptive, and this is really awesome because it doesn’t narrow the playing field of entrepreneurs, it opens up a bunch of channels through which different kinds of aspiring entrepreneurs can achieve success.

Here are some of the biggest corporate incubators and accelerators making their mark:

15 Corporate Accelerators

Works with organizations that use technology to help students succeed, strengthen schools and communities, or prepare learners for employment. The Aspire Accelerator will connect you with the resources, services, expertise, and relationships you need to drive exponential change in how we learn.

Aims to encourage and support tech innovators who are interested in beer consumption, shopping experience, and responsible drinking. Participants in the platform will have the opportunity to work with leading industry experts and partner with Budweiser to find success in the market.

Accelerates innovation at scale through strategic partnerships and a comprehensive set of programs that combine the best of the external innovation ecosystem with Citi’s internal efforts to embrace new skills and new ways of working.

A unique commercialization program for startups, acting as a bridge between the entrepreneurial community and major global markets including the US, Europe, Africa/Eurasia and the Pacific. The Bridge startups range from early stage to growth startups. They offer software solutions that are ready to commercialize and that fit one of five core themes: Consumer Engagement, Consumer Retail, Supply Chain, Marketing Innovation and Health and Wellness.

Helps tech startups develop and be successful by working closely with Google for 6 months, two weeks of all-expense-paid training at Google Headquarters, equity-free support, access to Google engineers, resources, and mentors, credits for Google products, and marketing spotlight opportunities.

A 20 week program, helping startups to build leading solutions for the enterprise market. The program focuses on post Seed & Round A funded companies with aim to create long term technology and business partnership with IBM worldwide.

Empowers innovative startups of all stripes. Participants in the accelerator will receive work space in Munich, capital, infrastructure, and mentoring from support partners and experts. At the end of the program, each startup will present at a demo day.

Connect corporations with new ventures—spurring innovation through curated conversations and facilitated action. Sprint Accelerator seeks to innovate, collaborate, and engage. It’s a 90-day program that focuses on collaboration between corporations and entrepreneurs, giving corporations access to innovative products and entrepreneurs access to unprecedented resources.

Brings together an amazing community of entrepreneurs, creative, mentors, investors, and technologists, all with a common trait: the ability to dream big, and a vision for making an impact on the world of entertainment and technology.

A hands-on program designed to advance startups that create solutions for enterprise customers—inside and outside the financial industry. It’s a 6-month program with opportunities for up to $500,000 in investment and networking opportunities, among other things.

Startup accelerator program from the John Lewis Partnership. The startups that are selected to participate in the program are given the opportunity to develop a relationship with UK’s two biggest retail brands, John Lewis and Waitrose.

Telenet Kickstart is a Belgian-based organization that partners with leading incubators and accelerators in order to empower startup businesses and entrepreneurs. Through mentorship and coaching, entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to take their idea and make it come to fruition in a marketable way.

]]>https://tech.co/corporate-accelerators-startups-2017-08/feed0270006https://tech.co/corporate-accelerators-startups-2017-08Budsies Launches Crowdfunding Market for Plushieshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/ORH9_QBtMko/budsies-crowdfunding-market-plushies-2017-08
https://tech.co/budsies-crowdfunding-market-plushies-2017-08#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 15:30:11 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285603Thanks to the magic of the internet, DIY or do it yourself activities have only been made easier; however, if Pinterest has taught the world anything, it’s that some things are best left to the professionals. That awesome cake you saw on TV? Yeah, good luck with that. See something cool on Pinterest and then try to decipher the recipe, hair style, or accent piece? Enjoy your Pinterest fail. Ok, so this may be a slight over exaggeration and you’ve probably had your fair share of wins too, but regardless of your skills, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to have someone else take the concept from your head and make it a reality.

Take for example your kids drawing or a photo of your pet, and you in turn want to turn it into a plushie or stuffed animal. You can either do it yourself or employ the likes of Budsies. Launched in 2013 on the back of a napkin, Budsies, a play on personal buddies, takes drawings and photos, and then turns them into stuffed animals.

“My little sister Michelle was a phenomenal doodler when she was younger. Her imagination also extended off the paper: she loved playing make believe with her stuffed animals,” said Budsies founder Alex Furmansky. “I wondered why she couldn’t play with a plush of one of her own characters. The very first Budsie ever made was of her character Dongler – he’s now our mascot!”

Since that time the company has created more than 43,000 stuffed animals based on things people love or have dreamt up. If the concept sounds familiar, it may be due to their spinoff, Petsies, that allows you to turn your favorite pets into stuffed animals or even those famous ones you follow on Instagram such as Marnie the dog. The company was also featured on Shark Tank. Now after years of successful custom creations, Budsies is stepping into the world of crowdfunding.

Like most crowdfunding platforms a creator pitches the world for why you should back their project be it an indie film, new technology, or in this case a stuffed animal line. The company has chosen characters from real Budsie customers, and if a particular plushie achieves its pre-order goal in the marketplace during the campaign timeline, every backer will receive the item. If the time window passes, orders will be refunded.

In a world filled with influencers, Budsies launched the market to tap into them and their audiences. From famous Instagram pets to children’s book characters, the people who create or manage them will be able to offer a likeness of said creation to their fans.

The market isn’t just for influencers, but anyone, including your kids, who is interested in trying to sell their own plushies. Just like any crowdfunding campaign, it reduces the risk for all parties while driving down cost if the project is successfully funded. More specifically, creators have 15 days to get 100 or more pre-orders for their creation to be made, and if successful, they will receive 10 percent of the profits (Budsies foots the design and manufacturing).

“My favorite plush in the past year has been a Selfies doll (where we make a plush doll out of anyone’s photo) for a little girl whose daddy had recently passed. Through our plush, the girl was able to hug her daddy again and maintain her connection with him,” said Furmansky. “While our custom plush service is cool and fun, most people don’t realize the emotional backstories that go with each creation. To our customers, we never make ‘toys.’ We make a child’s imaginary friend come to life, or we let a child hug their father who is stationed overseas, or we empower an incredibly talented autistic teen come out of her shell. Since each Budsies plush is custom made, each plush also has a personal story. We take every order to heart.”

]]>https://tech.co/budsies-crowdfunding-market-plushies-2017-08/feed0285603https://tech.co/budsies-crowdfunding-market-plushies-2017-08Study: Don’t Feel Bad About Taking Time Offhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/Sks1JnWOCbg/study-dont-feel-bad-taking-time-off-2017-08
https://tech.co/study-dont-feel-bad-taking-time-off-2017-08#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 14:50:39 +0000https://tech.co/?p=283290Entrepreneurs are more than happy to go the extra mile for their company. Their drive, ambition, and disregard for their own personal well-being is what made them startup founders in the first place. However, research has shown on more than one occasion that taking a little time off can do wonders for your productivity, your mental health, and even your bottom line. So stop feeling guilty and start relaxing!

You might be asking yourself, “how could working less lead to more productivity?” Well, obviously I’m going to get to that. There are a number of meaningful benefits that make taking time off a no-brainer when it comes to refreshing the ol’ batteries. Take a look at a few of them below:

Chairman of the Bored

Simply put, the brain was not built to focus for long periods of time. And while you might feel like you’re getting a lot of work done in that 15 hour work session, the reality is that you’re probably only getting a few good hours of work out of it.

“Deactivating and reactivating your goals allows you to stay focused,” said Alejandro Lleras, a University of Illinois psychology professor to Buffer Open. “From a practical standpoint, our research suggests that, when faced with long tasks (such as studying before a final exam or doing your taxes), it is best to impose brief breaks on yourself. Brief mental breaks will actually help you stay focused on your task!”

In so many words, this kind of work practice is pretty boring. You can’t be expected to solve innovative problems in a creative way if your mind is stuck on a single task. Taking time off allows your brain to refocus its energy and tackle the complex problems that come with running a business or being an entrepreneur.

Where’s the Off Switch?

Always being on is a trait found in comedians and entrepreneurs alike. And while it can lead to a number of impressive feats of hard work, this practice doesn’t always progress the creative process. Taking time off allows the brain to make connections that otherwise would go unrevealed in a constant state of hard work.

Much like the the Shower Principle in 30 Rock, having something to take your mind off the project at hand lets you actually figure stuff out more efficiently. Studies have shown that letting your mind wander actually increased brain activity, giving your brain the nourishment it really needs: rest.

Reevaluation Time

It’s safe to say that you’ve made a mistake or two in your entrepreneurial journey. Hopefully, you aren’t still making that mistake, because fortunately, you had the time off to reconsider the consequences and find a more reasonable approach.

If you don’t take time to pick your head up and breathe for once, you could get stuck in a bad situation without any means of pivoting out of it. Take time off so that you can make sure you’re on the right path.

]]>https://tech.co/study-dont-feel-bad-taking-time-off-2017-08/feed0283290https://tech.co/study-dont-feel-bad-taking-time-off-2017-08Why the Self-Driving Car Industry Should Worry About Intelhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/OH3o6RD_xrI/self-driving-car-industry-worry-intel-2017-08
https://tech.co/self-driving-car-industry-worry-intel-2017-08#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 13:20:08 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285507Every tech industry has its major players. Streaming video has Netflix as top dog, with Hulu and Amazon Prime at its heels. Uber and Lyft are the two companies synonymous with ride-sharing apps. The nascent self-driving car industry already has its power players and their strengths well established… or so it seems. Here’s why Intel might be better positioned to rocket to the front of the race than most people think.

Intel Owns Mobileye

Nvidia, Google’s Waymo, Baidu and Tesla are among the top self-driving car companies. But Intel’s purchase of software and camera company Mobileye for $15.3 billion earlier this month puts them on hallowed ground: With Intel’s hardware and Mobileye’s software, Intel might be able to rapidly turn into a full-stack self-driving car company.

“In my experience, the best acquisitions are done when two companies come together to solve a problem neither can solve on their own. This is a classic example of that. Intel did not inherently have the heritage, pedigree, relationships, nor the software to deliver an end-to-end solution for self-driving vehicles. This acquisition propels Intel to one of the top spots of a nascent but growing industry,” IoT analyst Chris Wilder explained in a recent Forbes article.

Intel has been seeing 15 percent growth year over year, so it’s doing something right. It just needs to keep up that success. They’re planning to build a test fleet of 100 fully autonomous cars, the first of which will be complete later this year.

How Intel Could Disrupt the Competition

In a recent article, analyst Motek Moyen broke down the reasoning behind Intel’s ability to disrupt the market and undercut everyone else’s efforts. In a nutshell, it’s because tech giants don’t have the infrastructure to dominate the car industry: It’s the auto industry leaders who will win.

“Intel is not going to be a builder/vendor of self-driving cars,” Moyen explains. “It wants to become the go-to provider for Big Data and technology/solutions to car manufacturers like Ford (F) and General Motors (GM). Intel/Mobileye will compete in providing the custom software, processor, sensors, Artificial Intelligence, connectivity, and the cloud computing platforms for makers/vendors of self-driving cars.”

Intel already has technologies from Movidius, Nervana Systems, and Itseez in addition to Mobileye, and they are well positioned to cut a deal with Ford. And government standards will play a part as well:

“Intel has an all-in-one package for building smart, autonomous cars. Intel could set a universal standard that car manufacturers can adopt.

It will likely be easier to convince government regulators to approve consumer self-driving cars if they have a universal industry standard platform/technology,” Moyen says.

As it turns out, Intel isn’t competing with the rest of the self-driving car titans. It could instead team up with Ford and let Ford fight the other self-driving car disruptors. And Ford is one competitor any new-tech car company should be scared of.

]]>https://tech.co/self-driving-car-industry-worry-intel-2017-08/feed0285507https://tech.co/self-driving-car-industry-worry-intel-2017-0815 Ways to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonmenthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/K9vIe59IKnU/ecommerce-shopping-cart-abandonment-2017-08
https://tech.co/ecommerce-shopping-cart-abandonment-2017-08#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 12:30:03 +0000https://tech.co/?p=284093Moving people through the buying process can be trying. Not only do you need to reach out to the right audience to provide a product or service they’re interested in, you need to do so using platforms and communication styles they’re comfortable with.

Even after all the effort, having a potential customer abandon the sale at the very end of process heartbreaking. You know what you offer is solid, so what prompts people to stop so close to the end?

Cart abandonment happens, but it can be minimized through the careful use of coupons, emails and site design. We asked 15 entrepreneurs from YECto share some specifics on what you can do to reduce shopping cart abandonment.

Make a Personal Connection

After a great deal of testing, I’ve realized the best abandoned-cart email campaigns are those that speak directly to the customer. Use variables to include personalized elements like the person’s name and the product they left in the cart. Send the email from a specific person at your company, creating an instant connection between the recipient and your brand. People will appreciate it! – Kyle Goguen, Pawstruck

Use Credibility Indicators

Ask yourself, who uses your product or service and are some of your customers reputable or known companies? If so feature them on the checkout page, and that should boost sales and result in fewer abandoned carts. – Erik Bullen, MageMail

Optimize Your Site’s Usability

A lot of high cart-abandonment rates come from usability issues. Any part of the checkout process that is confusing or difficult will lead to abandonment. Encourage friends and family to go through the checkout process themselves, and ask them if they ran into any problems. Working with a usability expert is always a good choice as well. – Ajay Gupta,Stirista

Make Comparisons Easy

Bring in comparison features and prices to other distribution channels and call it out! Make a case for why you want to sell directly instead of through Amazon. Show the added value, and make the inevitable consumer need to do research and compare simple and easy. It may sound counter-intuitive, but done well it can build loyalty and help drive direct sales in the age of Amazon Prime. – Dan Golden, BFO (Be Found Online)

Add Payment System That Facilitates Shopping

Some companies offer a payment system for e-commerce businesses that speed transactions and makes it easy for customers to complete their shopping experience rather than giving up. It’s been proven to effectively shorten the payment part of the online shopping experience. – John Rampton, Due

Prepare a Multi-Step Campaign

We all know that people will abandon the cart, but most companies won’t do anything about it. By creating a multi-step cart abandonment campaign using email, two-way text messaging with a sales rep, and retargeting we’ve been able to win back over 28 percent of these abandoners. And the best part, it’s completely automated! Prepare in advance to win back their business. – Chris Brisson, Salesmsg

Provide a Guest Checkout Option

A lack of guest checkout is a leading cause of cart abandonment. Many shoppers don’t want to begin a long-term relationship with your business. They just want to buy a product. You want them to register because it’s good for you. But not including a guest checkout will almost certainly cost you sales, and a sale today is (usually) worth more than a marketing opportunity tomorrow. – Justin Blanchard, ServerMania Inc.

Break the Process Into Bite-Sized Chunks

Break up your shopping checkout experience into several bite-sized chunks, which usually ends up being three to four steps in total. By creating “easy to complete” steps, the user feels like it’s an effortless process versus one very long form, where you have to fill in eight to nine details. Tip: Show which “step” the user is on at the top of the screen so they can see their progress, and keep the steps short and punchy. – Alex Miller, Upgraded Points

Display Your Phone Number

Make it easy for your customers to contact you if they have any questions during checkout. As online retailers, we work long hours to improve our conversion rates, bring buyers through a well-crafted sales funnel but then leave the buyer to fend for themselves when it is time to pay. Make yourself fully available when buyers have questions. Let them pick up the phone and remove any barriers to buy. – Diego Orjuela, Cables & Sensors

Offer Pre-Checkout Promotions

One of the most effective ways to increase completed checkout rates is to offer a pre-checkout promotion that makes the purchase look like an even better deal to the shopper. Let them know they’ve qualified for a special discount and give them a two-for-one or discounted price on some of the items in their cart. – Vik Patel, Future Hosting

Create an Abandonment Offer

If someone is going to leave your cart, present them with an offer they can’t resist. Something along the lines of free shipping or an instant discount code work well. Just make sure you require them to enter their email address in order to see the coupon code. In the event that they still abandon the cart, you still have their email address to market to in the future. – Jonathan Long, LAWYE.RS

Use Follow-Up Offers

By simplifying the checkout process as much as possible, you’ll retain the highest volume of customers. After that, look to automate email offers that will send discounted versions of those cart items to their email. You may not avoid abandonment, but you’ll be more likely to retain the sale afterward. – Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now

Provide Live Chat Support

If a customer is on the cart page and sees something they have a question about, such as higher price or shipping questions, they will likely be frustrated. If there is a live chat customer service agent available to answer their questions they are much more likely to complete the checkout. There is a reason retail stores have people there to help you. Why should an online store be any different? – Scott Kacmarski, Reps Direct

Communicate Shipping Costs

There shouldn’t be shipping cost surprises in a shopping cart. That’s a surefire way to increase abandonment for your e-commerce business. To avoid cart abandonment, customers should understand shipping costs before they reach a shopping cart. These costs — or lack thereof with “free” shipping — should be included on product pages, hero images and notifications. – Brett Farmiloe,Markitors

Scale Up Your Discounts as the Days Pass

The moment someone begins checkout, ask for their email. Follow up with an email sequence designed to get them to buy, with progressive discount coupons (10 percent off on Day 1, 20 percent off on Day 4, and the last day offer of 25 percent). Automatically exclude someone from a cart abandonment campaign when they buy. If you’ve tried all this and they still don’t buy, they were never meant to be your customer. – Nitin Chhoda, Total Activation

]]>https://tech.co/ecommerce-shopping-cart-abandonment-2017-08/feed0284093https://tech.co/ecommerce-shopping-cart-abandonment-2017-08Why A Great Executive Summary Can Help You Get Investor Meetingshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/rZKZ3f1egeI/executive-summary-help-investor-door-2017-08
https://tech.co/executive-summary-help-investor-door-2017-08#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 11:15:21 +0000https://tech.co/?p=281297When it’s time to start raising money, getting your foot in the door can come from a warm intro and a good executive summary.

Think of fundraising as an enterprise sales process. Which means it’s going to take time to get fundraising done and you’ll need a lot of prospects at the top of your sales funnel.

As you prepare for your fundraising effort, you need to get the basic tools of the trade completed before you start the process. The Executive Summary, Presentation and Financial Model are your marketing collateral to sell your product. You’ll build a funnel of prospects, requiring both research and introductions.

The goal is to create competitive term sheets, from multiple investors, for your growth capital, and the executive summary and traction can help you nab some investor meetings.

Traction First – Before Fundraising

Before we begin – I need to point out two not so obvious points for founders:

Your Need for Capital Does Not Mean You Can Raise Capital

I’ve been there, you have constraints, lack of cash, lack of engineering resources, and you need the money to pay for design.

All of that is a reality that stands between you and the fulfillment of your product vision. Get used to it, even after you raise the capital, you will continue to have constraints.

You need to find a way to get customer validation and traction before you raise money. That’s what the investors will require you to do before writing a check.

You May Not be Ready to Go Raise Money

All too often founders complete a pitch deck and confuse doing that work with the “Real Work” of customer validation, traction and revenue.

Your product offering and company need to be at a point in the maturity of the company that you have proven your concept with data.

For example:If the idea of the product or service is known to the market – e.g. you’re creating a competitive product, this can be a direct competitor or a derivative competitor in different markets, then you have a known comparable or “comp”.

Let’s say you are copying a former employer and building a competitive product. The investor risk, in this case, is mostly on your team’s execution of your plan. You have to answer the question: “can you build a competitive product and market and sell it better than your former employers?” There are known unit economics, pricing, conversion ratios, etc. The competitor, in this case, your former employer, has an enterprise value or a comparable.

However, if you are launching a brand new product into an unknown market, e.g. AirBnB before it launched, the risk is greater than just execution. It is also now a question if anyone actually wants the product you are proposing and which market wants that product for what price. In this case, the unit economics are speculative and there isn’t a comparable. With that, the reward for the investor is also potentially higher.

That’s why customer development and traction is so important.

Remember, investors have opinions and checkbooks. If you have only an opinion, your opinion combined with customer data will get you to the checkbook. If you have a new product, unknown market, and unknown channel, you need to at least have 50 customer development interviews that show why people will want to purchase your product.

Business plans are dead – at least in the tech market.

The reason is that a 40-80 page document is irrelevant given the dynamics of actually interacting with potential customers. Remember what Mike Tyson said – “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

That’s not an excuse for not planning – just a reminder that a plan doesn’t reflect the reality of the world and that you are better off doing the customer interviews and getting traction than sitting in your basement writing a plan.

Having the documents ready doesn’t mean the company is ready.

Startup Executive Summary

The Executive Summary is the two page summary of the business. It addresses the Pitch Deck content (problem, solutions, etc.) in a narrative arc that tells a story. The purpose of the Executive Summary is to “get you in the door” for the meeting with the Angel, Angel Group or VC.

No one is going to write you a check from any of these documents alone. Think of this as a process, you’ll still need to do the meetings, build a relationship and pass the due diligence process. But without doing these docs, you’ll look like a noob and won’t raise any cash.

Do the deck first, then draft the summary from the pitch deck. Remember, it’s only there to help you get the meeting and will be sent over in email as part of the meeting request – resist the urge to detail out all of your plans. It should match your website.

You won’t need to send the deck in advance. It serves as the discussion guide for the conversation you will have in the meeting.

All of these documents should sync, from your website, summary, and financial model. When they are out of sync you will get questions. Do the work, pay attention to the details.

This article is courtesy of Techstars, the best global ecosystem for entrepreneurs to bring new technologies to market. From inspiration to IPO, Techstars empowers the world’s most promising entrepreneurs throughout their lifelong journey by providing a global ecosystem made up of tens of thousands of community leaders, founders, mentors, investors, and corporate partners.

]]>https://tech.co/executive-summary-help-investor-door-2017-08/feed0281297https://tech.co/executive-summary-help-investor-door-2017-08This Project Management Training Can Help You Break into Techhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/KV9fODbKxbQ/project-management-training-tech-2017-08
https://tech.co/project-management-training-tech-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 22:00:29 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285519The tech industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that continues to see exponential growth year after year. Along with this growth, inevitably comes a demand for solid project managers that can lead internal projects from start to finish, while staying on budget and on schedule. If this speaks to your strengths as a tech-savvy, organized people person, it may just be the career for you. Where do you start? The first step is boosting your technical expertise, which you can easily do online with a course like the eduCBA Project Management & Quality Management Bundle. Enrolling is simple and affordable at just $39.

An initiative of IIT IIM, this coursework is a great segue into the complex world of tech. With more than 100 courses and 1450 hours of lessons in project management, quality management and Agile and Scrum methods, you can dive into any specialty or strategy you choose. And with lifetime access, you can learn on your own time.

Sometimes the most difficult part of entering a new industry is proving that you do in fact have the know-how, even without the job experience. One great way to tackle this obstacle is by earning an industry-recognized certification. This training will specifically train you to earn several highly sought after certifications like PRINCE2, CBAP, and PMP that will make your résumé stand out.

With lifetime access to over 1450 hours of interactive training, this bundle will be a purchase you’ll continue to access for years to comes as you build on your skill set. Plus, with a 15-day happiness guarantee, you can be confident that these instructors believe in their product to the highest extent. Purchase the eduCBA Project Management & Quality Management Bundle for only $39 today and start advancing your career in project management.

]]>https://tech.co/project-management-training-tech-2017-08/feed0285519https://tech.co/project-management-training-tech-2017-084 Effective Ways to Run Your Small Business like a Big Brandhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/UqUkKMb5PZ4/small-business-like-big-brand-2017-08
https://tech.co/small-business-like-big-brand-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 21:00:01 +0000https://tech.co/?p=277280Business individuals who think less like entrepreneurs, and more like big brands and their CEOs have a good shot at making long haul progress. We have an answer to why some businesses make phenomenal progress while their similarly coordinated rival falls flat. Here are effective ways to run your small business like big brand.

Brand Yourself

It is not significant whether you are something big or not, you can simply build a brand that is seen by the general shoppers. Take a shot at your corporate presence from the promoting visuals you send out via web-based networking media to the client collaborations you have every day.

Have Critical Musts

There is a proverb generally used in big companies “critical musts.” These are objectives, tasks, and schedules you need to complete before ending of a period. Set “basic musts” on the priority toward the start of every year and strive meeting your objectives in a gainful and supportable route through getting to month to month/quarterly reports.

Ask yourself if you are truly allotting my assets and time in a way that will permit me to meet my basic musts priorities and assess the ROI.

Measure, Measure, Measure

For any entrepreneur by not quantifying and observing the company’s progress, you are doing an insult to your business. Consider what would you’ll be able to screen and measure. We have a straightforward answer: anything you attempt to evaluate, can be scaled, measured, and observed. This reaches from sales and income, to promotion and innovation. Work with your group each week to assess what’s working and what’s not.

Approach Each Opportunity With Enthusiasm

When you approach each interaction with a customer as an opportunity to win them over, you’re treating each customer with the most elevated respect. And That sort of tactic makes you different from your rivals.

When you’re starting out, you might have this idea of the optimal customer. However you may not have the luxury of this at an early-stage. So until you can pick and chose your clientele, go into each meeting with the expectation of pleasing your clients, and your organization will be improved for it.

]]>https://tech.co/small-business-like-big-brand-2017-08/feed0277280https://tech.co/small-business-like-big-brand-2017-08Free Photoshop Alternatives Are Great, Pixelmator Is Betterhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/r1RtSrflFEQ/free-photoshop-alternatives-pixelmator-2017-08
https://tech.co/free-photoshop-alternatives-pixelmator-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 19:50:08 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285409The vast majority of us have likely googled “free Photoshop alternatives” at some point in our internet history, looking to avoid the costly investment of legitimately acquiring Adobe’s heralded creative suite of software. It wasn’t too long ago that Photoshop alone could set you back a few hundred dollars, which was especially tough to swallow when you knew that a new version was no more than a year away. And while today you can pay Adobe a monthly fee to access Creative Suite, it still seems like a burdensome financial commitment if you’re just looking to make some minor edits to a photo.

However, though there are plenty of free Photoshop alternatives, let me recommend making a small one-time investment in an app called Pixelmator, available on the App Store for $29.99 at the time of writing this article.

Look, I’m not saying you can’t give Gimp a download and take that freeware for a spin, it may be the closest thing we have to a “free Photoshop alternative.” But it’s also equally complicated to use, and unless your a pro user you’ll likely only use 10 percent of its offering.

Pixelmator, on the other hand, is easy to pick up and painless to master, built around a user experience that was clearly designed to be used by anyone.

Take this list of effects, for example — mousing over an effect demonstrates what it actually does:

Pixelmator also won’t leave you stranded on some obscure file format island where none of your designer friends/coworkers are able to open your work, as it can not only open layered PSDs (Photoshop Files) but save them as well:

And, crucially, Pixelmator boasts one trick up its sleeve that can’t be matched by any of the free Photoshop alternatives currently out there: a Pixelmator – Pixelmator Team fully-featured iOS app ($4.99 at the time of writing this article).

Many desktop applications have a watered-down, companion-like app to compliment their desktop version where Pixelmator let’s you actually create on the go then sync with iCloud to resume editing on your desktop once your back at your desk.

All in, you’re looking at dropping about $35 — or about 1.5 months of Photoshop.

]]>https://tech.co/free-photoshop-alternatives-pixelmator-2017-08/feed0285409https://tech.co/free-photoshop-alternatives-pixelmator-2017-08How Many Years of Experience Will Qualify You for Your Tech Dream Job?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/ms4WWofluz8/years-experience-tech-dream-job-2017-08
https://tech.co/years-experience-tech-dream-job-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 18:30:12 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285483Job searching in the tech community often starts with a fairly small collection of the biggest names, from Google and Amazon to Facebook and Snap, Inc, to Airbnb and Microsoft. Thanks to a recent survey from job search startup Paysa, we have a little data on which of these tech giants are hiring and what skills they’re interested in. Namely, we have data culled from over 8,200 job postings and over 70,000 resumes.

And yes, “software engineer” is just as useful a title as you might expect.

The Reign of the Software Engineer

Paysa broke the companies down into two main categories: Titans — public companies valued at over $100B who are a decade out from their IPO — and tech disruptors — private companies or ones public for less than ten years, valued at over $10B.

If not for Microsoft, the software engineers would have swept the market.

“According to the data, tech disruptors and titans most want to hire software engineers,” the survey says. “In fact, this job title was the most sought-after position for almost every company analyzed, including Airbnb, Facebook, Snap Inc., Twitter, Uber, Amazon, Apple, Google, and Oracle. The notable exception was Microsoft, which had slightly more openings for product experts and advisers.”

Facebook Keeps Employees Around the Longest

The tech biz has a fast turnover rate: Facebook did the best, and even it only keep employees an average of just over two years. But it’s the companies that held the lowest average employee tenures that I found the most interesting.

“Facebook had the highest average employee tenure at just over two years, with Google and Oracle not far behind (at just under two years). But here’s a surprise: The highest turnover rate didn’t belong to Amazon. It was Uber that lead the race to the bottom, with 1.2 years of the average employee tenure,” the study explains.

How Much Experience Will You Need?

How much experience does the typical employee need under their belt in order to snag their tech industry dream job? The split by company was fairly even: For Airbnb, Twitter, and Uber, between six and ten years was the sweetest spot, while Apple, Microsoft, and Oracle for looking for those between zero and two years.

A few more data points:

“Google was mostly made up of employees with five to 10 years under their belts. And Amazon employees averaged two to five years of experience, the survey says, adding that “if you’re just starting out, your chances are best with Snap Inc., whose staff tends towards employees who have been in the workforce for less than two years total.”

So start researching openings at Snap. Although you might want to dust off your Master’s degree, if you have one: Snap is the most likely to hire those with a Master’s, who hold down 36 percent of its current positions.

]]>https://tech.co/years-experience-tech-dream-job-2017-08/feed0285483https://tech.co/years-experience-tech-dream-job-2017-08Telecommuting Gadgets to Make You More Efficienthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/wishjLpuq9A/telecommuting-gear-efficiency-2017-08
https://tech.co/telecommuting-gear-efficiency-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 17:30:14 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285074Telecommuting has many benefits such as skipping rush hour traffic and the option to wear slippers all day, though it can be a real drag on your productivity if your “home office” is limited to just a laptop and your favorite reading chair. As a telecommuter myself, I’ve spared practically no expense decking out my home office and I assure you it’s been a worthwhile investment.

I’ve customized my home office down to the last wire for optimum speed, comfort, and efficiency, resulting in a workstation that I now consider a genuine professional advantage.

The linchpin to my home office setup is an UltraWide LG thunderbolt display. I can’t stress enough how much of a step up moving from a dual-monitor setup to a single UtlraWide has been for me (fitting two full-size windows side-by-side on a single display just feels right). Plus, beyond the amazing curved display, the UltraWide LG is packed with useful features; including thunderbolt connectivity, USB 3.0 ports, and built-in speakers.

Dual monitors are dead. UltraWides are what the most elite nerds are using today.

If you’re going to work remotely, you’ll need to equip yourself with a dedicated headset/mic that won’t hinder your ability to clearly communicate with your team on conference calls. I went with this particular headset because it’s completely wireless, allowing me to pace around the room while I pitch clients (or lay down on the bed during boring calls).

Most importantly though, the Voyager Focus’ range covers my kitchen, so I can prepare my fourth cup of coffee without missing a beat.

Actually being on camera for team calls is a great way to prove to your boss that you still get up in the morning and shower/dress like an adult.

You could splurge for Logitechs latest 4k Pro Webcam, but you’ll ultimately be wasting your money, as most teleconferencing software is unable to make use of the better frame rate and resolution it provides. That’s why I stuck with the C920, an HD Webcam that’s a major step up from my MacBook Pros built-in iSight, which is useless when my laptop is closed and hooked up to my UltraWide monitor.

Make the most of being alone in your home office and grab a set of nice speakers so you can blast your earholes with your favorite mix tapes (that are fire) to keep you cranking out work at a superhuman rate.

I personally have an older pair of Bose Companion speakers, though if I was picking them up today I’d grab the newer Bose Companion 20s. While many audiophiles think Bose products are overpriced, the money you’ll pay for these desktop speakers will feel well worth it when you’re cranking the Tron soundtrack to 11.

Yes, I spent $300 on a desk lamp. No, I don’t regret it. When you stare at a monitor all day every day eyestrain can become a real issue, and ambient lighting can add to that strain.

I assure you, a lamp that gives you control over its brightness is a luxury you will not want to live without once you have it. And on the bright side (badum chhh), with Koncept’s Z-bar, you’ll not only have an incredible light fixture, but a piece of desktop art worthy of being displayed in a museum.

With all of these added gadgets on your desk, your laptop can start to resemble an octopus, which can make removing it a bit of an ordeal on those rare occasions when you need to head into the office to meet with real people in real life. A Thunderbolt dock will make your life easier by letting you connect just one Thunderbolt cable to power up your workstation setup.

Elgato also offers a newer Thunderbolt 3 dock as well, for those of you lucky enough to be working on one of Apple’s latest machines.

Does your home office absolutely need all of the expensive gear I listed above? No it doesn’t.

However, having personally invested in this gear to build out a home office that not only makes my life easier but in my cases gives me a tangible edge over my office-dwelling peers, I can confidently say that I’ve seen a return on my investment — and you will too.

]]>https://tech.co/telecommuting-gear-efficiency-2017-08/feed0285074https://tech.co/telecommuting-gear-efficiency-2017-08How to Watch NASA’s Live Stream of the Solar Eclipsehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/bHLjOzC67vE/10-ways-watch-solar-eclipse-online-2017-08
https://tech.co/10-ways-watch-solar-eclipse-online-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 17:00:23 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285450If you won’t be heading outside or can’t get the proper eyewear in time to view the solar eclipse, then NASA is offering a multitude of ways to watch it online.

NASA announced they will be televising the eclipse live from coast to coast from the ground, aircraft, and even the International Space Station during a four-hour broadcast “Eclipse Across America: Through the Eyes of NASA,” and you can watch it via live stream.

The programming begins at noon EDT on August 21 with a preview show from Charleston, South Carolina and the main show begins at 1:00 p.m. NASA will be following the path of the eclipse across the U.S. and feature views from NASA’s research aircraft, high-altitude balloons, satellites and specially-modified telescopes. Before the big day NASA brought in George Takei to share more tips on how to watch the solar eclipse (see below).

Here’s where you can find the live stream:

NASA TV

In New York’s Times Square, the jumbotron, Toshiba Vision screen will broadcast the program live in its entirety to give the public a big-screen view of the eclipse. If you won’t be in NYC, you can watch it on NASA here.

]]>https://tech.co/10-ways-watch-solar-eclipse-online-2017-08/feed0285450https://tech.co/10-ways-watch-solar-eclipse-online-2017-08What The Hell Is a Corporate Accelerator?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/K-dByDfUqtQ/corporate-accelerator-startup-series-2017-08
https://tech.co/corporate-accelerator-startup-series-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 16:20:09 +0000http://tech.co/?p=270402As an entrepreneur you are likely aware of the various opportunities designed to help keep you from joining the majority statistic that most startups fail. Between incubators and accelerators, there hundreds of options throughout the world that will likely align with your goals and mission, each with their own list of pros and cons for how much they will take versus how much less they can offer.

Over the past decade or so, a new type of accelerator has become popularized, especially in the tech industry. From Yahoo to Microsoft, many of the established tech corporations have formed their own accelerators, not all that dissimilar from standard ones, with the goal of creating a mutually beneficial relationship with startups.

What Are Corporate Accelerators?

Like any accelerator, a corporate accelerator is designed to empower and grow startups that have been accepted into their program. On the other side of the equation are the corporations powering the accelerator. Corporations are more likely to gain innovative concepts or technology in place of the standard return on investment, but that does not rule out the possibility.

Because a corporation is powering the accelerator, in most cases there are ulterior missions, though transparent, for which the startup must focus on in addition to their own goals. This differs from a standard accelerator whose goals are typically more open-ended (focusing on minorities, green-technology, or as basic as an industry) or a non-profit accelerator like SEED SPOT that offer grants and take no equity. Regardless of the type, all accelerators offer some form of mentorship, a network to tap into experienced resources and potential employees, and either direct investments or access to investors.

What’s In It For Corporations?

You mean large corporations are not just grooming budding startups out of the kindness of their heart and to give back to the community? Crazy talk! There may be a few exceptions, but in most cases a corporate accelerator is designed to be a win-win for all parties involved. As organizations get larger, red tape can either get in the way of innovation, they can’t focus enough energy on solving a particular problem, or they are setting themselves up for a future acquisition.

According to the Corporate Accelerator database, nearly half of the accelerators listed require some sort of equitable stake in the startup. This can range from three percent at Germany’s DPA based Next Media Accelerator to 10 percent from Italy based Technogym’s Wellness Accelerator. Although not all corporate accelerators take equity, there is still other avenues for increasing revenue for both parties.

For a budding toy and robotics company, Sphero, their inclusion in Disney’s inaugural corporate accelerator cohort in 2014 was a major win for both companies. Before the world knew about the existence of what would soon become everyone’s new favorite droid, Sphero was given an early look at the BB-8 from Disney CEO Bob Iger. During the meeting, Iger asked the team if they could turn the BB-8 into a toy, which then turned into one of the hottest gadgets in 2015. According to Sphero CTO Ian Bernstein during an interview on Twit TV based Triangulation, more than one million of the mini BB-8 robots were sold, which does not count the second wave of robots as a motion controller was launched later. During Disney’s 2015 cohort, another similar example can be found in Littlestar who created a VR tour for Star Wars.

Looking for a few more examples? Try this awesome post on Quora or the Corporate Accelerator database.

What’s In It For Startups and Entrepreneurs?

Much like a standard accelerator, a corporate backed accelerator typically comes with a minimum of office space and heavy mentorship, and many others offer either investments or grants to fuel their growth. On top of this, if a startup is able to successfully provide value to the corporation supporting them, it opens the doors for continued investments or even an acquisition.

If a startup can find a corporation that aligns with their mission and what their business is attempting to solve, it’s an easy win-win scenario.

]]>https://tech.co/corporate-accelerator-startup-series-2017-08/feed0270402https://tech.co/corporate-accelerator-startup-series-2017-083D-Printed Skulls and Spines Could Be the Latest Health Tech Innovationhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/Pk-KZPHDyZU/3d-printed-skull-implants-tech-2017-08
https://tech.co/3d-printed-skull-implants-tech-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 15:30:15 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285145Last March marked a historic moment for health technology: Dr. Gaurav Gupta, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, successfully implanted a plastic 3D-printed chunk of skull bone into patient Christopher Cahill. It’s far from the only 3D-printed bone replacement we’ve seen this year. Are we on the verge of a cyborg revolution?

The Implants

USA Today reported on the skull surgery, noting that the simulation bone was based on the patient’s CT scan and perfectly matched the missing section.

“[Dr. Gupta] collaborated with medical device company DeputSynthese CMS to develop a customized cranial skull implant for Cahill made of a plastic known as polyetheretherketone (PEEK), which Gupta said was chosen for its strength, stability and biocompatibility,” they wrote. “Prior to 3D printing, Gupta said, surgeons used metal mesh to replace pieces of the skull, but it was not as strong or as precise.”

Meanwhile, a Chinese surgery completed a similar process after 3D-printing a replacement for a patient’s second to seventh cervical vertebrae.

“A Chinese surgeon has replaced five consecutive vertebrae in a patient’s neck with a 3D-printed prosthetic in what is believed to be the first operation of its kind,” The Times noted. “The patient, identified only by the alias Xiaowen, is 28 and was diagnosed with a malignant tumour that affects her bones and joints after she found it impossible to pick up objects with her right hand. Xiao Jianru of Shanghai’s Changzheng Hospital found that the tumour had severely weakened her spine in the area of her neck.”

The Future of Health Tech?

If 3D-printed bone becomes a widely accepted medical treatment, it wouldn’t exactly be a surprise. We have relied on sythetic replacements and supplements for hundreds of years — crutches aren’t a new invention. And we’ve been making them more and more high-tech as our knowledge compounds. Artificial knees and hips are considered standard. Soon, 3D-printed replacements for our flesh and bone might be just as commonplace.

]]>https://tech.co/3d-printed-skull-implants-tech-2017-08/feed0285145https://tech.co/3d-printed-skull-implants-tech-2017-08Study: Most Companies Have No Idea How Much a Cyber Attack Could Cost Themhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/fapH6dkDbpY/no-idea-much-cyber-attack-cost-2017-08
https://tech.co/no-idea-much-cyber-attack-cost-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 14:50:56 +0000https://tech.co/?p=283280Cybersecurity risks are everywhere nowadays. From phishing emails to ransomware attacks, there is no telling where your company’s next security snafu might come from, particularly with fewer and fewer employees knowing how to spot a red flag. To make matters worse, IT decision-makers don’t appear to be taking the matter seriously, as one study has shown that many of them don’t even know how much a cyber attack could cost their company.

According to research from Webroot, 78 percent of IT decision-makers at mid-sized businesses (100-499 employees) believe that cyber attacks will cost they’re company less than $1 million. To make matters worse, 62 percent believe that it will cost less than $500,000 and 22 percent believe it will cost less than $100,000. So how wrong are they? A lot.

While the math isn’t exact and numbers vary across the board, the consensus is pretty clear: it costs a lot more than these people think. According to one study from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the average annual losses per US company that experiences a cyber attack is $15.4 million in 2016. Another study from IBM estimated the cost at around $3.62 million in 2017. While this data is far from consistent, one thing is clear: it costs a whole lot more than $500,000.

“In addition to traditional cyberattacks like phishing and malware, new tactics like ransomware attacks are making it more lucrative than ever to be a cyber thief,” wrote the authors of the study from Webroot. “This ever-changing threat environment is forcing IT decision-makers to reevaluate their security strategies. How well equipped are SMBs to protect their data? How are they adapting their approaches to keep pace with a barrage of new cyber threats?”

The survey, conducted by Wakefield Research, is pretty damning when it comes to the educational level of IT decision makers. It also showed that most of them are very confident (87 percent) in their knowledge of the effects of cyber attacks, despite their lack of knowledge in regards to how much it might costs. And if you ask me, that’d be the first thing an IT decision-maker would be concerned about when it came to cybersecurity.

]]>https://tech.co/no-idea-much-cyber-attack-cost-2017-08/feed0283280https://tech.co/no-idea-much-cyber-attack-cost-2017-08Top 5 Tips for Dealing With Abuse in Your Comments Sectionhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/skYgmh6Saxw/tips-dealing-abuse-comments-2017-08
https://tech.co/tips-dealing-abuse-comments-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 13:20:13 +0000https://tech.co/?p=285136In the years since online trolling became a thing, it has never gone away. If anything, it’s a bigger problem than ever: A Pew Research report out last March detailed the opinions of some 1,537 “technology experts, scholars, corporate practitioners and government leaders” who came to the general consensus that the Internet as a whole was either staying the same (42 percent) or getting worse (39 percent). The survey was conducted in the early months of 2016, and plenty of outlets are agreeing that the levels of online abuse are only on the rise since.

What does all that mean for a lowly tech startup hoping to create a community platform? You’re going to need a crash course in managing the trolls.

Luckily, The Coral Project is here to help. It’s a journalism-oriented collaboration between Mozilla, The New York Times, and The Washington Post that’s designed to help outlets learn how to build a community, and they’ve recently published an article on MediaShift about managing abusive commentators.

Look at a New User’s First Few Comments

The Coral Project said:

“Set the first few comments from any new user to go to pre-moderation (if your system allows)”

By cracking down on the first comments, you’ll be able to separate the trolls from the genuine articles immediately.

Get Users to Flag Abuse

While onboarding users, encourage them to report on any future bad behavior they might notice. Keep your messaging simple and clear in order to get the best results — the article suggests their own tool, Talk, in order to handle the process.

Highlight the Good Comments

Finding a way to prioritize the useful, constructive comments will guide the conversation away from abuse and those who rely on abusive comments and outrage in order to be heard.

Point Targeted Users to Support Networks

Create a resource list will help users who might otherwise feel alone and supported if they are singled out for online abuse.

Reply with Empathy

The first weapon a community editor should pull out? Empathy.

“Respond with empathy to those who cross the line,” Coral Project recommends, adding that “they might not have understood the community guidelines. If appropriate and possible, consider giving them a time out from posting instead of banning them for life. However, sometimes a user acts in a way that is deliberately abusive by repeatedly targeting one or more people, and banning them from your community has no effect.”

Check out the rest of the project’s research for advice on more specific ways to handle community abuse, from abuse of a single user to a situation in which your own team is targeted, to ongoing abuse in general. If your community stands out as a healthy one in a world of increasing online abuse, you just might gain the edge you need to thrive.

]]>https://tech.co/tips-dealing-abuse-comments-2017-08/feed0285136https://tech.co/tips-dealing-abuse-comments-2017-087 Ways Blockchain Could Transform Governmenthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/zLmWZ0oHvFg/blockchain-change-government-2017-08
https://tech.co/blockchain-change-government-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 12:30:58 +0000https://tech.co/?p=284067Blockchain has the potential to be as pervasive and as impactful as the internet. With a technology projected to be as meaningful as this, the government needs to implement the applications of the technology. Here are seven use cases for government.

Titles and Property

The current home entitlement process requires a home buyer to pay thousands of dollars to determine if there are any liens on the property. Due to the lack of trust in paper records, title insurance agencies, which has been called a scam, continue to have a reason for existing. Leveraging the distributed ledger, there would be no need to engage in this fact finding activity as all liens could easily be determined so long as the historical title records were converted to structured data. Sweden is currently experimenting with leveraging the blockchain for land registries.

Supply Chains

The US Government has global supply chains reaching every corner of the globe to deliver the $445 billion in goods and services it purchases annually. It delivers equipment and supplies to US troops, medicine to foreign nations for aid, relief supplies to disaster areas. This supply chain is susceptible to fraud, security risk, malicious software/hardware, and the effects of climate change. All transactions on the blockchain are timestamped and traceable. This enables the government to track the origin of goods and increase the quality in production and distribution as each individual component in the equipment can be traced as well.

Budgeting

The Department of Defense (DoD) has been unable to participate in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) financial audits for over 20 years because they cannot reconcile transactions or prepare consolidated financial statements. From appropriations to the soldier’s wallet, every transaction would be transparent and accounted for leveraging blockchain.

Identity Verification

Currently identity management is costly for the government and decentralized with disparate organizations tracking identity. The Department of State issues passports while the Department of Motor Vehicles issues drivers licenses. Keeping identity management on a blockchain could allow for one centralized identity store. In addition to reducing duplicative efforts, keeping identity on a distributed ledger could expedite filing taxes, applying for loans, and reduce identity fraud.

Disbursements

Between Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, and other social safety net programs, almost 60 percent of the US Government budget is dedicated to entitlement disbursements. It is estimated that in 2015, the the Medicare Fee-for-Service program disbursed $358 billion and of that 12 percent was an improper payment. Blockchain could be used for ensuring the transactional aspects of entitlement disbursements are being allocated to the appropriate person and the recipient is using the money for the purposes intended. The UK is currently piloting a blockchain welfare payments platform.

Storage of Personal Information

Many government programs have a multitude of personally identifiable information (PII) and are a high risk for bad actors looking to steal information. These records can be used to steal identities and other nefarious activities. Putting medical information onto blockchain would improve security and patient’s ability to own their information. Since blockchain solutions are distributed with multiple instances and leverage public-key cryptography, it is very hard to hack these solutions.

Transfer Information

The government has been experimenting with using sensors for everything from monitoring traffic on highways to ensuring that equipment does not need maintenance. As the internet of things becomes more pervasive, government will need a way to securely transfer the peer-to-peer data from one device to another. Blockchain can also be a solution for this by becoming a “ledger for everything” enabling the secure and auditable transfer of this data between devices.

But not every risk is worth taking. Sometimes what appears to be the path forward leads only to headaches, and your team is depending on you to make the right call. So how can you figure out how others have taken the leap?

To find out, we asked 15 entrepreneurs to share moments where they took a move that had a huge payoff. Here’s what happened:

Extending an Olive Branch to Major CompetitorsBeing that most adtech companies have developed proprietary technology, competition is fierce and sportsmanship is rare. As CEO, it is my job to constantly evolve the firm. Rather than engaging in undermining tactics, I extended an olive branch to competitors. While an uncommon move, it’s played out successfully for both parties, allowing us to create synergies and compliment each other’s strengths. – Jason Kulpa, Underground Elephant

Embracing ConfrontationWhen I decided to stop resenting and start confronting, it transformed my workplace. Confrontation doesn’t have to be bad or even that uncomfortable, and it’s made it so much easier to communicate with my team. Now when something goes wrong, we discuss it immediately and it doesn’t happen again. My employees know I care enough to help them course correct, and I don’t stew about issues anymore. – Maren Hogan, Red Branch Media

Offering TransparencyThe decision to embrace revenue transparency at Hubstaff was long discussed and extensively analyzed. We understood it was a big risk, but it has paid off in the long run. Being completely transparent has resulted in increased trust with customers and potential customers. It also keeps our team accountable: having access to metrics helps our team learn what works and what doesn’t. – Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com

Taking One Step Back to Take Three Steps Forward

In 2014, we pivoted the company from a web business to mobile business and laid off 30 percent of our workforce. Today, we’ve grown 10 times. We took one huge step backward in order to re-position ourselves for future growth. – Eddie Lou, Shiftgig

Being Willing to Fire Customers

The customer is not always right. A bold move was when we emailed one of our largest customers and told them “We were not a good fit for them since our employee cultures did not match.” The background was that their staff was uncooperative and even condescending towards my team. The client replied right away, apologized and got their act together. It’s been a fantastic relationship ever since. – Nitin Chhoda, Total Activation

Going After Larger Clients

Because we were only growing, most thought we should wait to approach large potential clients, but I believed that we had the skill and capability to help them. By making this leadership decision, we were able to land a large client and more followed once they saw other big companies on board. It changed our results for the better. – Cynthia Johnson, Ipseity Media

Betting on a Potential Trend

Earlier this year, my cofounder and I identified few trends that we believe would play out in marketing measurement industry in 2018. We then aligned our R&D efforts to build the product for the future, not today. It wasn’t easy, as we have limited resources, and we had to let few clients go as they did not align with our vision. We have already started seeing the demand for this new product growing. – Shilpi Sharma, Kvantum Inc.

Merging When the Time Was Right

One of the best decisions we’ve ever made was to merge my previous company with a company that offered complimentary services to what we offered. While we could have done the work of the other team, we knew that the other team had quality people that would improve our business if we were together. This was a year ago and today, we’ve grown our statewide presence in our offerings. – Kenny Nguyen, Big Fish Presentations

Exiting a Business

I made the decisive move to exit one business completely and sell it off. I could see that the industry was maturing, so I took a leap and left to try a completely new industry, and it’s been a huge payoff for me and the team that followed with me. I ended up quickly growing the new business and am now in a more sustainable industry. – Peter Daisyme, Due

Delegating Responsibilities

Delegating more of our responsibilities down to staff members was a good move. We didn’t feel confident doing that in the beginning, but since we have a few seasoned vets on board, we’ve had them take over some of our non-essential responsibilities. That has allowed myself and our co-founder to have more time to grow our business. – Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

Being the Stickler

We started with an all mobile team, so it was a pretty free and fun environment when it first started. At every stage where we’ve done better, I’ve had to crack down on the “organic” way of doing things, and convince people to follow more annoying, but more sustainable, standards. I was worried about how these decisions would affect my team, but they were with me for every change I needed to make. – Adam Steele, The Magistrate

Stepping Away From Making Sales

In my business, I was making the majority of sales. Even with 15 people on our sales team, I was solely responsible for closing the majority. I realized there was no way the business could scale that way. I “ripped off the Band-Aid” and started passing off my entire deal flow. The result? My team closed as well as I had been, and I freed up most of my time to work on the business. – Erik Huberman, Hawke Media

Outsourcing the Call Center

Most people would never guess we outsource our call center. Why did we do it? As a garage door company, it is hard to find A-plus players who know how to book calls and dispatch properly. We gave a national call center a little test try, because they knew our CRM as well. They passed with flying colors, so we outsourced. Now all calls are a variable cost: no PTO, no employee tax, no parking issues. – Tommy Mello, A1 Garage Door Repair

Opening Up About a Difficult Situation

Confidence is a pillar of leadership, but people think this means never displaying any sign of weakness. I think one of the easiest ways to garner respect and have your employees realize that you’re human is to open up about a difficult situation. If you’re not hitting the revenue numbers you need to hit, let them know! People tend to figure things out, so be open and honest — they will join you! – Bryce Welker, Crush The CPA Exam

Slowing Down to Focus

When we launched our company, we started pushing on almost every idea we had, with a big vision of building of lots of different companies quickly. We were spread way too thin and bit off way more than we could chew. By the end of our first year, we realized we needed slow down, scale our ambitions back and focus, which allowed us to successfully develop Beverly Hills Chairs and Custom Tobacco. – Adam Mendler, The Veloz Group

]]>https://tech.co/15-bold-leadership-moves-worked-2017-08/feed0284476https://tech.co/15-bold-leadership-moves-worked-2017-0813 Outdoor Tech Gadgets To Create Your Backyard Oasishttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/Fab7DMPDPvU/outdoor-tech-gadgets-backyard-oasis-2017-08
https://tech.co/outdoor-tech-gadgets-backyard-oasis-2017-08#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 02:33:30 +0000https://tech.co/?p=284191Summer isn’t over yet – and for some of us it’s in full swing and we continue to enjoy barbecues and pool parties. If you’re fortunate enough to have your own backyard, you can still transform it into an oasis for your family and friends to enjoy. Let’s go beyond your typical tiki torches and citronella candles, and look at some of the most interesting outdoor tech gadgets to make your backyard experience even better.

Keeping your favorite beverages cool in an icy cold tub is essential in your backyard. But if you want to turn it up a notch, and add in some portable karaoke, this is the cooler for you! Truly a crowd pleaser.

Want to have hammock like experience without the need for ropes and trees? The Lamzac is the lounger you’ve been looking for. This lounge chair from the Netherlands is a comfortable sofa or lounge chair for two that you can fill with air within seconds. The Lamzac is made of a durable, abrasion resistant, ripstop nylon and the weight capacity is a whopping 440 pounds.

Depending on where you live, as soon as the sun starts going down, the bus loads of mosquitos arrive ready to attack. But we can be ready for them. This natural mosquito repelling lantern works to keep the mosquitoes away with a natural, plant-based mist. The lantern has four LED bulbs that generate a soft glow, and the device allows you to set the mist to spray every 5, 7 1/2, or 10 minutes. It also includes a remote control to so you can fight back from up to 15 feet away.

In case you couldn’t tell, we really hate mosquitos. So if you don’t get the bugs with the nature mist lanterns, you may need to consider more extreme measures. That’s where this little bug zapper and light will come in handy as you can set it right nearby.

Lighting is important to set the mood and what better way to do that than with these colorful, hanging orbs. They are solar powered so no need to run an extension cord or plug them in. Don’t expect them to shed a lot of light on the situation but do expect them to add to a fun atmosphere from above.

Keep your lawn well manicured without breaking a sweat thanks to technology and this nifty robotic lawn mower. Similar to Roomba your grass gets mowed automatically around the clock without your supervision. The cuttings are small enough that you won’t need to rake the clippings, adding fertilization back to the soil. It is electrically powered so the robotic mower produces no harmful emissions. Set it an forget it.

Watch your favorite sporting events while you’re hanging out on your back deck. This outdoor TV is designed specifically for partial sun and high ambient light conditions on patio, poolside, and decks. It’s waterproof with a powder-coated aluminum exterior that protects against rust while shielding the internal components from rain, snow, dust, insects, humidity, and salt air. Additionally the TV can perform in all climates with a temperature range of -24 to 122°F.

This little glowing orb will add another fun element to your outdoor oasis. The orb has ultra bright LED lights with 16 modes including a color-changing flash mode. It has 10 hours working time and is rechargeable for regular use.

Keeping your devices charged while in the backyard is not something to be taken lightly, and this outdoor umbrella with a built in USB charger for a mobile device will be sure to keep your phone fully operational. Your friends will appreciate it.

Your backyard oasis wouldn’t be complete without the addition of a water element. While you could splurge and get an in-ground pool or Michael Phelps Spa, those may be out of budget. Consider MSpa’s inflatable hot tub option which looks sleek just like a regular hot tub, but at a fraction of the price.

The right sound can can make your environment stand apart from others – and the Om Sound System can help with that. It’s a weather-resistant, solar-powered speaker that can be deployed anywhere. It also has three LED light arrays that can illuminate walkways and decks. The Om System integrates Bluetooth and radio technology to create a complete audio system the helps overcome distance problems and interference issues. You can buy just one or string a bunch of Om units together to amplify your backyard soundtrack around your entire lot.

If you’re looking for an affordable, and camouflaged, sound option for your backyard, check out Alpine Corporation’s solar Bluetooth rock speaker. We don’t know about the sound, but we love the idea of tucking these rock-like speakers around the yard to pleasantly surprise guests wherever they hang out.Propane Fire Pit

Ok, it isn’t a high tech gadget but you’ll quickly forgive me when you add a fire pit to provide warmth and comfort outside all year long. With an electronic ignition, this fire pit creates a cozy and soothing fire without the hassle of having to tend to a fire – keeping everyone warm when the sun goes down.

Making your backyard into an oasis takes a little bit of thought and time but just a few outdoor tech gadgets go a long way.

]]>https://tech.co/outdoor-tech-gadgets-backyard-oasis-2017-08/feed0284191https://tech.co/outdoor-tech-gadgets-backyard-oasis-2017-08How Art-Based Apps are Bringing People Back to Museumshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/4yTgHDt9vRE/apps-bring-art-people-2017-08
https://tech.co/apps-bring-art-people-2017-08#respondSun, 13 Aug 2017 21:00:30 +0000https://tech.co/?p=280891In 2016, attendance for British museums and galleries fell by 1.4 million. The Guardian’s resident art critic Jonathan Jones said this figure is a sign of “a nation without aspiration or hope.”

Although the situation may not be completely hopeless — London’s Tate Modern drew record attendances in 2016 — more must be done to bring art back to a central position in British everyday life. Mobile phone apps could be the way to do it. A recent string of apps have been released to help smartphone owners see more art, learn more about art, and even create art themselves.

Apps are Making Art More Accessible

One of the most common criticisms thrown at the art world is that it is too stuffy, too aristocratic, too cut off from everyday life to resonate with the average person. Whether or not this criticism is accurate, the falling gallery attendance figures suggest that this perception may have caught on with the public.

Apps can be instrumental in combating this stigma. One of the most useful of these is Magnus, an app that markets itself as “Shazam for the art world.” With Magnus, people without Art History degrees can take pictures of artworks and the app will find the name of the piece, the artist, and plenty of background information. Magnus will enable the art-curious to become art connoisseurs in no time.

Artsy is another app intended to help people see more of the art they love. It has a catalogue of works that you can browse on your phone, with a map telling you where you can find the pieces you love the most.

Galleries themselves, that often face the accusation of stuffy elitism, are finally figuring out that apps will point the way forward. The Tate Modern’s Pocket Art Gallery app uses augmented reality to let you hang famous paintings on the wall wherever you are. The National Portrait Gallery has several apps, including a tour app given in British Sign Language, helping to bring the artworks to an even wider audience.

The interactive element of this app in particular highlights another way smartphone apps could engage the public in art once again.

Turning Art Fans Into Artists

Trying your hand at art has traditionally been a fairly major commitment. It used to involve a trip to the local art supplies store, and a trip back home with bundles of brushes, canvasses and paint pots. Now, those thinking of dipping their toe into the art pool can do so without spending any money or carrying any bundles; everything they need is just a download away.

Brushes is a painting app with the seal of approval from one of Britain’s all-time greats: David Hockney. Those close to Hockney say he sees the iPad as “a new medium” for artists, and one that’s “here to stay.” Some of Hockney’s iPad work was on display at Hockney’s record-breaking Tate Britain exhibition.

If it’s good enough for Hockney, it’s good enough for a curious novice looking to take their first steps. Similar low-commitment, high capability apps exist, such as Tayasui Sketches, which acts as a virtual sketchbook for users to carry around. But the most revolutionary artistic apps of all might not even require a trip to the app store.

In some ways apps are already turning millions of us into artists without us really thinking about it. The rise of visual social networks such as Instagram and Snapchat has made many millions of users more aware of aesthetics than they ever have been before. Consciously or subconsciously, we think about framing, lighting, colour and composition every time we take a selfie or a photo of our food. If anything, this means despite the drop in gallery attendance figures, the public is more prone to art appreciation than it ever has been before. Perhaps these art-specific apps can help bridge the gap.

]]>https://tech.co/apps-bring-art-people-2017-08/feed0280891https://tech.co/apps-bring-art-people-2017-08Wacom Bamboo Sketch Stylus is Good for the Basicshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechCocktail/~3/Y4wF7duZS5I/wacom-bamboo-sketch-stylus-ipad-2017-08
https://tech.co/wacom-bamboo-sketch-stylus-ipad-2017-08#respondSun, 13 Aug 2017 19:50:19 +0000https://tech.co/?p=284783The Wacom Bamboo Sketch Stylus is a lot of fun. While it is not great for art, it is quite utilitarian and a lot of fun. It is a great crayon for scratching out rough sketches and diagrams, drawing on photos, or writing notes. Most of my testing was in the app ‘Bamboo Paper’.

The Good:

The Buttons Are Very Useful

The buttons on the side of the stylus are fully programmable and extremely convenient. I bound mine to the ‘eraser’ and ‘undo’ functions in Bamboo Paper. Make a mistake? Undo button right at your fingertips. Need to erase a little bit? The erase button is right there. Hold it down to erase and release to return to your brush. I’m sure there are tons of other bindings that are great but I found those to be the most useful for me.

The Hand Feel is Excellent

The weight is right on the money. Not light enough to feel cheap, not heavy enough to be burdensome. The exterior texture of the pen is nice and it feels very solid in the hand.

A Quality Case

The retail packaging it came in and the carrying case provided with the stylus are both very satisfying. Wacom obviously spent time on the carrying case, and it really is top notch. One thing I don’t understand though… after all the evident effort spent on the case, why can’t I plug a cord into the case to charge the stylus? It seems like the obvious thing to do.

Connecting is Easy

The Wacom Bamboo Sketch stylus requires an app with built in capability. You must pair it with the app, not the iPad, but it was very easy, no hiccups. Simply open the context menu, select ‘connect stylus’ (different in various apps) and hold the tip of the stylus in the circle on the screen. I had to click one of the buttons to wake the stylus up, but as soon as I did, it connected and started working instantly with no further setup.

The Bad:

The Stylus is Very Awkward to Charge

The stylus really should charge in the case, or at very least, come with a cord. Hanging the pen using a magnetic dongle from a USB plug is super weird, and I had to move my charge hub to the edge of my end table to charge it.

Accuracy is Mediocre

This is not an artist’s tool. Small, short, and slow movements don’t seem to translate very well. The pressure spring seems too light, and I find myself at about 3/4th depressed when drawing normally. The tip location isn’t quite as accurate as I was expecting.

Overall, it’s great for utilitarian purposes, but not for art. For Wacom being a company who prides themselves on serving the art industry, they have made an interesting choice here. I don’t believe they could have made it much more accurate than they did, but knowing their branding I am surprised that they released it at all. All of this isn’t to say that the Sketch is garbage; it isn’t. It’s just not for art. It’s for back of the napkin sketches, quick notes, or drawing changes onto a photo while talking to a customer.

With Amazon’s latest acquisition of Whole Foods and is a threat to brick and mortar stores, what holds for the future of retail.

Michael LaVitola is the CEO and Founder of Foxtrot, a startup that could be thought of as a curated cornerstore with on-demand delivery. It is basically what you imagine your ideal convenience store would look like with an in store cafe and a ton of super cool beer, wine, food, gifts, and basic necessities.

In this episode of Tech in Chicago, we talk about why he started Foxtrot, why they moved away from 0n-demand to retail, their coffee bars, curating products, the future of retail, the impact of Amazon and its acquisitions, how they differentiate themselves, and more.

If you want to try Foxtrot, use this discount code: “ab079e” for $10 off your first order